Guwahati: The Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in Assam has set a benchmark in digital governance by successfully digitizing all of its land records.
By replacing traditional manual file systems, the BTR has set a new standard for other autonomous councils in the Northeast.
There are ten autonomous councils in the Northeast — three each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and one in Tripura — under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. These councils, which manage land, forests, and local governance in their jurisdictions, have often faced challenges due to infrastructure gaps and administrative bottlenecks.
The BTR government addressed these issues by launching an e-Office system, which not only digitized land records but also allows for electronic handling of files, real-time decision tracking, and online approvals. Besides, every land parcel is now mapped, updated, and stored in the secure digital form.
This move has made it easier to process applications through Mission Bwiswmuthi, which provides services like land mutation and record updates. Now, people can verify land ownership and receive digitally-signed documents without needing to visit a government office or pay middlemen.
The digitization process, which began in early 2023, involved a large-scale ground-level survey across the BTR’s five districts: Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Tamulpur, and Udalguri. To ensure accuracy and prevent disputes, the project also incorporated Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping for land boundaries.
The digitization process included land records, some of which were several decades old.
According to an official from the BTR’s Land Revenue Department, this initiative has created a new era of digital governance in a tribal region.
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“There are instances when land disputes triggered social tensions,” the official said, adding that the digitization efforts have helped maintain transparency and minimize corruption, forgery, and conflict.
