Himachal makes e-KYC mandatory for all landowners: What it means for you ?
In a significant move aimed at streamlining land ownership records, Himachal Pradesh has made individual e-KYC verification mandatory for all landowners. Earlier, the process was account-based, meaning that e-KYC of a single owner was considered sufficient for an entire landholding. However, with many land accounts having multiple owners—sometimes as many as 30-40—several stakeholders remained unverified, leading to discrepancies. To address this, the central government has now made it compulsory for each landowner to undergo separate e-KYC verification.
Why the Change?
This update is part of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP), which aims to link land records with Aadhaar. The previous account-based system often resulted in errors and disputes, prompting the government to mandate individual verification for greater accuracy and transparency in land ownership.
However, this shift has slowed down the pace of e-KYC completion, as officials now need to reach out to every individual owner rather than verifying just one per account. While the previous system had achieved 60% completion, the updated process has so far covered only 27% of landowners across Himachal Pradesh.
Districts and Tehsils: Who’s Leading and Who’s Lagging?
Among districts, Kinnaur has made the most progress, while Kangra and Shimla are lagging behind. Here’s a look at district-wise completion rates:
- Bilaspur: 35%
- Chamba: 28%
- Hamirpur: 40%
- Kangra: 22%
- Kinnaur: 44%
- Kullu: 29%
- Lahaul-Spiti: 37%
- Mandi: 31%
- Shimla: 22%
- Sirmaur: 23%
- Solan: 27%
- Una: 28%
At the tehsil level, Lagru and Khundiyan in Kangra are leading with 49% completion, followed by Barsar and Datwal (Hamirpur) at 45% and Bhota and Murang (Kinnaur) at 48%. Sangla tehsil has reached 45% completion.
However, urban Shimla is far behind, with just 11% e-KYC completion. Other slow-moving tehsils include:
- Baijnath: 12%
- Dharamshala: 15%
- Nurpur: 13%
- Palampur: 13%
- Shahpur: 15%
Government’s Next Steps
The state government is now working to accelerate the e-KYC process and has urged landowners to complete their verification at the earliest. Officials have warned that failure to comply could lead to delays in land-related transactions and legal complications in ownership records.
With this new mandate, the government hopes to create a more transparent and dispute-free land ownership system in Himachal Pradesh. Landowners are advised to visit their nearest revenue office to complete their e-KYC as soon as possible.
