AP Moves to Tamper-Proof Land Records With New Pattadar Passbooks

Andhra Pradesh is moving towards a more secure and technology-driven land records system, with new pattadar passbooks being equipped with safeguards comparable to those used for currency notes, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday.

Speaking at the ‘Mee Bhoomi–Mee Hakku’ pattadar passbook distribution programme at Kalidindi in Kaikaluru constituency, Naidu said the government’s priority was to ensure that farmers and landowners had clear and secure ownership rights while finding a permanent solution to land disputes.

The new passbooks will carry the State Emblem and incorporate QR codes, blockchain technology and other security features aimed at preventing manipulation of property details. Naidu said the technology-backed system would make unauthorised alterations more difficult and strengthen the reliability of land ownership records.

The Chief Minister handed over a new passbook to woman farmer Nallajerla Durga Bhavani after completion of her e-KYC process. He later interacted with villagers and sought details about land-related and other local problems.

Naidu said the government had completed the resurvey in 9,365 villages and distributed 32.32 lakh pattadar passbooks across the state. Another 68.64 lakh passbooks are expected to be issued after the remaining resurvey work is completed.

He said around 41,000 acres had been removed from the Section 22A prohibited list, benefiting more than 1.47 lakh farmers and landowners. In Eluru district, about 5,500 acres were cleared from the list. Naidu said the government was also resolving cases involving land allotted to former servicemen that had subsequently faced restrictions.

The resurvey is being conducted in the presence of landowners, followed by verification and e-KYC before passbooks are printed and distributed through village meetings. Naidu said the government was also digitising old land records and bringing link documents online.

Around nine lakh people have benefited from auto-mutation, while inherited land valued below ₹10 lakh can be transferred for a nominal ₹100 fee, he said.

Naidu also announced ₹36 crore to address drinking water problems in the Kaikaluru constituency, particularly the Kolleru region.

On aquaculture, he said farmers were receiving subsidised electricity at ₹1.50 per unit, with 12,500 farmers in non-aqua zones newly brought under the benefit. The subsidy is expected to cost the state around ₹1,150 crore.

The Chief Minister said the government was also integrating AI and IT into public services to improve transparency, speed and accessibility, while continuing efforts to protect property rights and reduce land-related disputes.