What is ULPIN?

ULPIN (Unique Land Parcel Identification Number) is a fourteen-digit unique number that is given to a parcel of land.

• ULPIN encompasses ownership information of the plot, beyond its area and size details.
• ULPIN is a part of a programme that was initiated in 20008 by the name of Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme. 
• The identification number is based on the latitude and longitude of the specific parcel of land and is relied on cadastral maps and surveys.
• The ULPIN scheme came into effect in March 2021 in ten different states and the plan is to launch this scheme in each and every state by March 2022. 
• The ULPIN scheme was initiated to find out about land frauds, particularly in rural areas of India, where there are no concrete records of land and ownership of land.
• ULPIN scheme helps in land accounting which further helps in developing banks for land purposes.

Benefits of ULPIN

One of the biggest benefits of ULPIN Uttar Pradesh or ULPIN PIB among other areas and regions (note ULPIN Jharkhand and others) is that the land database will be seamlessly integrated with revenue court records along with Aadhar and bank records. There will be this Aadhar for land or the 14-digit unique identification number, helping in tracking every plot in the country. It will prevent land fraud instances in hinterlands of rural India and other regions where land records are obsolete or disputed. Identification will take place on the basis of latitude and longitude coordinates of plots while depending upon geo-referenced cadastral maps and surveys. 

As the ULPIN UPSC information states clearly, it will significantly advance the objectives of the DILRMP. It will cost only ₹3 per record for integrating and linking Aadhar with land records via ULPIN. Seeding and authenticating Aadhar information of landowners will cost ₹5 for each instance. A contemporary land record room will cost ₹50 lakh approximately for each district while integrating land records with Revenue Court Management System will cost roughly ₹270 crores. Service delivery will improve considerably as a result of ULPIN while it will boost inputs to other schemes in sectors like finance, disaster management and agriculture. All land records will become fully transparent and remain up to date for buyers/investors/sellers. It will be easier to share and access land records throughout financial institutions, departments and stakeholders. Citizens can get land record services in a single window itself and the scheme will also safeguard government land while making it easier to acquire land records. In a nutshell, with the infusion of ULPIN, the process of land acquisition has become quick and seamless.

Land Parcel Number Based on Geo-Coordinates

As seen for ULPIN Odisha or ULPIN Bihar among the other Indian States where this scheme is active, the latitude and longitude-based identification will take place on the basis of geo-coordinates. It will extend the scale and scope of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme that was launched in 2008. 

This encompasses survey-re-survey along with computerization of registration and land records. The goals include real-time land ownership, detailed access for citizens, complete transparency, abolishing stamp papers and payment of stamp duty/registration fees via banks and online along with lowering RoR (record of rights) as per the timelines. There will be automatic mutations eventually along with lower litigation with more conclusive titles.

Electronic Commerce Code Management Association (ECCMA)

The ULPIN scheme will go a long way towards developing the entire land bank while leading towards the ILIMS (Integrated Land Information Management System). The scheme will have 14-digit alpha numeric IDs for every plot as mentioned. The unique IDs will be based upon geo-referenced coordinates of vertices for the land parcel and of global standards while being compliant with the ECCMA (Electronic Commerce Code Management Association) standards along with the OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) standards while offering compatibility for swift adoption by all Indian States.

ULPIN Scheme has been Officially Launched in 10 States

As mentioned earlier, the Central Government has already facilitated the roll-out of the ULPIN scheme throughout 10 States in the country. It will be launched throughout all of India by March 2022 as per the statement issued by the Department of Land Resources which informed the same to the Standing Committee on Rural Development. Every plot in India will have its own unique 14-digit number within one year. 

NIC has developed the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number or ULPIN which has been launched officially in Bihar Department of Land Reforms, Government of India and the Additional Chief Secretary Revenue & Land Records and Government of Bihar. ULPIN has also been launched in Odisha on a pilot basis. Odisha was chosen for the pilot project since it is known as a pioneer for best practices relating to land records. ULPIN has been unveiled in Barkhandia Village, Barakhol Village of Riamal Tehsil and Kandeijori Village of Deogarh Tehsil. All three villages lie in the Deogarh District, and they have been successfully geo-referenced. 

Final Thoughts

ULPIN will offer immense benefits with a single source of information helping in the authentication of ownership seamlessly while also ending all issues relating to any dubious land ownership as well. It will help in the identification of Government land more easily while also safeguarding land from any hoax or fraudulent transactions. The ULPIN scheme has successfully achieved the aim of protecting government land from illegal usurp. At the same time, it has made land acquisition easier.  

Odisha has already taken several pioneering steps with regard to cadastral maps, digitizing land records and integrating spatial and textual records among other initiatives in this regard.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About ULPIN