The Delhi government is going to take a historic step to make the records related to property and land ownership in the capital Delhi completely digital, transparent and dispute-free. Under the ‘Delhi Land Records Bill, 2026’ being prepared by the Delhi government, every property in Delhi will be given a unique digital identity, which is being called a ‘Property Aadhaar Card’. A special session of the Delhi Assembly will soon be called to pass this new law, after which a scientific survey will be started across Delhi. Through this campaign, digital records will be prepared of every village house and piece of land, to flats and commercial buildings in cities.
What is the new bill and how will the survey be conducted?
Under this law, a scientific survey of all of Delhi, including both rural and urban areas, will be mandated. Accurate mapping of land and property boundaries will be conducted through drone surveys, with the assistance of the Survey of India. The currently scattered records held by various government departments and local bodies will be brought together on a single platform.
In multi-story buildings, a separate digital record will be created for each floor, allowing for the inclusion of all individual units. The government hopes this modern system will significantly reduce property disputes and significantly ease the burden on courts and revenue officials.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, comparing the initiative to people’s Aadhaar cards on the social media platform X, said that the Delhi Land Records Bill, 2026, will provide a secure and authentic digital identity for every property in Delhi. She explained that the bill is being implemented across Delhi based on the successful implementation experience in rural villages under the central government’s SVAMITVA scheme. The bill is currently undergoing approval after review by a group of ministers.
Why is this step a milestone for the Lal Dora areas?
Lal Dora areas are traditional rural residential areas marked in red ink in revenue records. They are used for both agricultural and non-agricultural purposes and have certain local restrictions on construction. According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lal Dora areas have long lacked systematic and authentic property records. The ‘Swamitva’ initiative aims to permanently address this decades-old gap by providing formal and verifiable documentation to residents of these areas for the first time.
How will the smart ‘Property Aadhaar Card’ work?
This card, issued under the Central Government’s Swamitva Yojana, will be in a state-of-the-art PVC format and will be designed in accordance with UIDAI standards. The card will contain several important information:
Unique Property Identification Number (PID) of the property
Card Issue Date and Official Details
Information about the village, ward and district concerned
Complete details of the occupant and his family
The total area of the land and a unique ‘Bhoo-Aadhaar number’
Scanning the QR code on this card will reveal a complete digital sketch of the property, precise boundary details, PIDs of neighboring properties, Khasra numbers, and direct links to legally valid Certificates of Occupancy. However, the government has not yet clarified whether the property card itself will serve as proof of ownership or as a unique identification record linked to existing documents. Rules regarding ownership verification, correction of errors, and disputed entries will be finalized after the bill is passed in the Assembly.
Pilot Project: How much work has been done so far?
Of Delhi’s 48 rural villages, 30 have been successfully included in the pilot phase of this project. Survey and identification work has been completed in these villages, and property cards are being prepared by collecting relevant documents:
A total of 12,232 properties have been surveyed so far.
Of these, 8,423 properties (about 69 per cent) have been found to be completely dispute-free.
In the South and North-West districts, all the cases of surveyed properties have been resolved 100 per cent.
All these records will eventually be integrated in real-time with the Delhi Online Registration Information System (DORIS). Based on the excellent experience in these 30 villages, once the pilot phase is complete, the project will be expanded to cover residential, commercial, and all other property categories across Delhi.
What major benefits will Delhi residents get from this?
Due to lack of systematic and digital records, Delhi residents had to face huge problems for decades in proving ownership, property transactions, inheritance matters, obtaining bank loans, getting map approval and resolving court disputes.
The creation of authentic digital records will permanently eliminate boundary disputes. This will assure citizens unprecedented ease, transparency, and legal protection in property transfers, easy access to bank loans, inheritance settlements, and house map approvals.