Odisha has officially launched a fully online, paperless and cashless land registration system that enables citizens to complete most property registration procedures digitally. The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday at Lok Seva Bhawan. Under the new system, buyers and sellers will no longer have to physically visit registration offices to submit applications or supporting documents. Once they mutually agree on a property transaction, the entire application process will be completed online through a dedicated digital platform in advance. The reform aims to make land registration more transparent, efficient, citizen-friendly and corruption-free through end-to-end digital processing.
To promote financial transparency, the government has decided to eliminate cash payments, including the existing provision allowing cash transactions of up to ₹15,000. All registration-related payments will now be made through digital modes only. Applicants will also be required to upload all necessary documents online, including identity proofs, plot details, the Encumbrance Certificate (EC) and other prescribed records. The paperless process is expected to reduce paperwork, speed up registrations and improve service delivery. As reported by Dinalipi News, Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the new system would make property registration transparent, hassle-free and corruption-free by minimising physical interaction and eliminating cash transactions.
Applicants will only be required to appear before the registering authority at the final stage of execution of the sale deed for identity verification, biometric authentication and other statutory formalities mandated under the Registration Act. Minister Suresh Pujari has directed officials to finalise and notify a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) at the earliest to ensure the smooth implementation of the new digital registration system. The department is in the final stage of developing the online system and will notify a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) at the earliest. Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arvind Padhee, Inspector General of Registration P. Anvesha Reddy, and senior officials of the Revenue Department, NIC and OCAC attended the meeting.
The government is planning to introduce a digital verification system, allowing registration documents to be verified by any registration office in the state instead of being restricted to a single office. Under the proposed mechanism, registration documents could be digitally scrutinised by any registration office in Odisha. The state government has also decided to regulate document preparation by making it mandatory for only registered deed writers or advocates to be authorised to prepare and submit registration documents. Their registration details must be provided during the online application process, and all advocates, deed writers and stamp vendors involved in registrations must be registered with the department. As reported by Dinalipi News, the proposal is expected to improve transparency and ensure greater impartiality in document verification.
Odisha has witnessed a sharp increase in revenue from property transactions with stamp duty and registration fee collections rising by more than 31% to ₹2,610 crore in 2025-26 from ₹1,987 crore in 2024-25. According to Business Standard, land revenue collections also increased nearly 25% during the same period, climbing from ₹785 crore to ₹980 crore. Officials indicated that a fully digital, cashless registration ecosystem would help protect this growing revenue stream by improving compliance, eliminating leakages, creating a complete digital audit trail for every transaction, and ensuring greater transparency in the collection of stamp duty and registration charges.
