The district administration of a town in India has successfully digitized all land records dating back to the 1950s, storing them on the Avalanche blockchain to promote transparent and tamper-proof governance of land. On March 6, the Dantewada District Administration in Chhattisgarh announced that over 700, 000 land records had been digitized through the Office of Land Records, secured on the Avalanche blockchain in partnership with the Indian startup LegitDoc, facilitated by Zupple Labs. Mayank Chaturvedi, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and the district collector of Dantewada, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “For many years, our citizens experienced considerable delays in accessing their land records, with verification often taking weeks. By digitizing these records and securing them on the blockchain, we have made them easily accessible and protected against tampering. ” As part of this initiative, kiosks have been installed in every sub-district, allowing citizens and officials to access land information. To safeguard sensitive data, prior authorization is required for access. LegitDoc CEO Neil Martis explained to Cointelegraph that “the application is permissioned, meaning records can only be accessed by revenue officers at the Tehsil (sub-district administration) level. ” The blockchain-based application enables the officer in charge to search for properties and download or view the digitized records stored on the blockchain. This access extends to various types of government records, including B-1 forms (for elevator installation), rights records, plot registers, ownership records, and cadastral maps, all of which can be viewed and verified through the blockchain. Additionally, the officer can validate the smart contracts linked to the digital documents using the Avalanche Explorer, ensuring secure record-keeping. Cointelegraph was granted exclusive access to a public blockchain-based explorer, which provides an overview of on-chain data, smart contracts, and activities related to the Dantewada application. Devika Mittal, Avalanche's growth consultant for India, told Cointelegraph: “Avalanche is proud to support the Office of Land Records in Dantewada, marking a revolutionary step towards providing trust and transparency for millions of citizens.

Blockchain is the future of land record digitization, and Chhattisgarh is leading the way. ” The project was initiated by Jayant Nahata, IAS, who previously served as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Dantewada and is now the CEO of the Dantewada Zila Panchayat. He stated: “This groundbreaking initiative has accomplished end-to-end digitization and blockchain verifiability of all land records dating back to the 1950s, ensuring document security, lowering legal costs, and most importantly, making access easier for the citizens of Dantewada. ” In addition to eliminating manual searches for land records, tribal communities and farmers in the area can now secure ownership records and minimize disputes. LegitDoc has previously supported various Indian state-level blockchain initiatives involving the issuance and verification of caste certificates, diplomas, and skill certificates, among others.