Administrative Issues.
- Organisation of the project implementation setup with adequate responsibility, authority and accountability.
- Execution and monitoring of pilot projects.
- Training of manpower to handle the new system at various levels. This would include executives at senior and middle level as well as supervisors and operators. The process would also include motivation and education of village level functionaries as well as users.
- To formulate necessary administrative orders and procedures with proper administrative authenticity to implement the necessary changes. For example amendments to the land records mannuals etc.
Legislative Policy matters
Ownership of properties have great importance in most legal matters. Whenever there are changes in procedures and documentation the legal process have to scrutinize the same and formalize through legislations. For the computerised documents to have legal acceptability these have to be formally legislated through appropriate means /instruments. The Central as well as State governments need to study the implications of computerisation and inact appropriate laws to support them.
Technical Issues.
There are a large number of technical issues which need to be addressed by the policy makers. They would attract detailed debate on each of the matters. This debate will carry on for a long time and the arguments will change with the sight of each new technology. Therefore our policy makers have to adopt a policy of laying down guidelines with tremendous foresight into the emerging technologies yet making the process administatively workable.We cannot afford to chase technology and at the same time have to keep up with time. The technical issues that need to be addressed are :-
Data bases.
- Standardisation of data base structure and contents.
- Data definition.
- Data transportability across different RDBMS which may be used by different states.
- Data warehousing and metadata sets.
- Updation of data, maintaining data integrity.
- Data security and backups.
- Use of local languages and national compatibility.
- Software for database management.
Digital Data
- GIS software and their inter transportability.
- Data formats.
- Definition and standardization of attribute data.
- Georeferencing parameters.
- Scales for mapping.
- Projection systems, grid systems and joining of maps at various levels.
- Data conversion parameters and accuracies acceptable.
- Preparation of new maps using modern survey techniques.
Project Implementation guidelines.
- Terms of reference for project execution, time and expenditure as well as implementation strategy.
- Where private vendors are involved guidelines for quality standards and other compliances.
Commercial Policy matters.
Information about land is of great value to government as well as the individuals. Transparency in land information will benefit the public immensely and also greatly reduce litigations and law and order problems. However it is important to lay down definite rules for legitimacy and ownership of information which may now be more easily available. The following policy issues need to be addressed:-
- Ownership of information
- Access control of information.
- Pricing of data and cost recovery.
- Copyrights and authority to replicate or distribute data.
- Value addition to data.
- Cost recovery and self-sustenance of the system.
Conclusion
I have made an effort to highlight some of the issues, which need to be addressed by the policy makers to expect a tardy development of a National Land Information System. While implementation of the system has to be done by different states, it is absolutely essential that the ground rules be laid down unambiguously for all players to follow. If it was made to cater for the needs of only a few it would be self defeating in the long run. We all have to change our mindset to accept the existence of the computers and electronic empowerment as a new dimension in e-governance. Earlier we change the better it is! If the ground rules are explicit, it does not matter how many players play the game. Let all private agencies, small and large, who have the know how and the ability to contribute, do so in a free and fair play ground.
References
- Vision Document prepared by the Ministry of Rural Development, Land Resources Division, Govt of India.