Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development implements two flagship programmes: DILRMP (digitisation of land records) and WDC-PMKSY 2.0 (watershed development). [1][2]
Land governance is a State subject (Schedule VII, List II, Entry 18), so DoLR works in cooperative-federal mode with States/UTs. [2]
2025 marked roll-out of Landstack, scaling of NAKSHA urban survey, and consolidation of ULPIN ("Bhu-Aadhaar") as the unique land-parcel identifier. [1][2][3]
2. Why in the News
PIB Year-End Review 2025 (released 01 Jan 2026) consolidated DoLR's progress on DILRMP, NAKSHA, Landstack and WDC-PMKSY 2.0. [1]
Landstack pilot launched in Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh; Glossary of Revenue Terms released. [1][2]
Nationwide "Watershed Mahotsav" launched in November 2025, preceded by "Watershed Yatra" (Feb–May 2025). [1]
3. Background & Evolution
2008: DILRMP launched (originally NLRMP); rebranded DILRMP in 2016 as a Central Sector Scheme. [2]
2014–15: Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) subsumed under PMKSY as its Watershed Development Component (WDC-PMKSY 1.0). [2]
2021: ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar rolled out — 14-digit alphanumeric ID based on geo-coordinates, compliant with ECCMA and OGC standards. [3]
2021–26: WDC-PMKSY 2.0 approved for rainfed/degraded lands. [2]
2024–25: NAKSHA urban cadastral pilot launched in 157 ULBs. [1][2]
2025: Landstack GIS pilot launched; WDC-PMKSY 3.0 under proposal. [1][2]
4. Core Static Facts
Parent Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development; Department: Department of Land Resources. [1]
Schemes: (i) DILRMP — Central Sector Scheme; (ii) WDC-PMKSY 2.0 — Centrally Sponsored. [1][2]
ULPIN: 14-digit alphanumeric parcel ID; coined "Aadhaar for Land"; adopted in 29 States/UTs. [1][3]
Digitally signed RoR: citizens of 19 States can now download legally valid land records. [1]
NAKSHA: aerial survey in 116 ULBs (87% of target) covering ~5,915 sq km; ground-truthing in 72 ULBs; 100% done in 21 cities. [2]
Landstack: pilots in Tamil Nadu & Chandigarh; deployed in 17 States/UTs (Punjab, Maharashtra, HP etc.). [2]
WDC-PMKSY 2.0: 1,220 projects, area 52.93 lakh ha, cost ₹12,972.86 cr (Centre ₹8,487.97 cr) across 28 States/UTs; ₹5,576 cr Central funds released cumulatively. [1][2]
WDC-PMKSY 3.0 (proposed): outlay ₹16,253 cr (Centre ₹10,938 cr); includes 15,000 springs, river/stream and water-body rejuvenation. [2]
5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis
Administrative / Federal: Land is a State subject; DoLR funds and standard-sets while States execute — explains uneven ULPIN adoption (29/36 UTs). [2][3]
Technological: NAKSHA uses modern aerial survey + feature extraction; ULPIN uses geo-coordinates of parcel vertices; Landstack is a GIS-based interoperable platform integrating Revenue, Survey, Registration and ULB data. [2][3]
Economic: Digitally signed RoR cuts transaction costs, eases bank credit against land; Landstack designed to curb benami transactions. [1][2]
Environmental: WDC-PMKSY targets rainfed/degraded areas; 3.0 adds spring-shed and river rejuvenation — aligns with climate-resilient agriculture and SDG 6 & 15. [2]
Governance / Ethics: Single source of truth reduces litigation (≈66% of Indian civil disputes are land-related — a recurring DoLR claim); Glossary of Revenue Terms standardises tenurial vocabulary across States. [1]
Probable stems:
1. "Digitisation of land records is a precondition for ease of doing business and equitable agrarian reform. Examine in light of DILRMP and ULPIN."
2. "Discuss how WDC-PMKSY 2.0 addresses the twin challenges of land degradation and rainfed agriculture."
3. "Land being a State subject limits the pace of land record modernisation. Critically evaluate with reference to NAKSHA and Landstack."