Bihar to abolish physical certified copies of revenue records from Jan

Patna, Dec 24 (IANS) In a landmark move aimed at improving public convenience and ensuring transparency, the Department of Revenue and Land Reforms, Bihar, has decided to completely abolish the traditional physical system of issuing certified copies of revenue records.

From January 1, 2026, only digitally signed certified copies will be issued through the state land records portal, and these copies will be legally valid and recognised everywhere.

Clear instructions in this regard have been issued by the department’s Secretary Jai Singh to all divisional commissioners, district collectors, officers in charge of district record rooms, and circle officers.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Revenue and Land Reforms Vijay Kumar Sinha described the decision as a decisive step toward citizen convenience, transparency, and good governance.

“Now people will no longer have to make repeated visits to government offices to obtain certified copies. Digitally signed copies will be completely legal and easily accessible from home. Our objective is to make revenue services simple, transparent, and corruption-free. This is also a significant step towards Digital Bihar,” he said.

Until now, citizens were required to visit revenue offices and follow a lengthy process involving applications, stamp duty, register entries, official approvals, and physical issuance of copies—often taking 7 to 14 days.

This procedure was particularly burdensome for people in rural and remote areas, leading to unnecessary delays, expenses, and inconvenience.

The department clarified that digitally signed copies available on the land records portal are fully legal.

This system is in line with the Revenue Council, Bihar notification dated June 26, 2024, which recognises online-issued and digitally signed documents as certified copies.

In cases where a revenue record is not available online, citizens can submit an online request, after which the document will be uploaded and issued as a digitally signed, certified copy following verification.

Officials stated that this decision will save time, money, and effort, significantly reduce crowding in government offices, and curb opportunities for corruption.

--IANS

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