Girdawari is a historic and statutory process in Pakistan which is imperative part of the Land Revenue System in which inspection of land and crop take place. Local revenue officials work traditionally as patwaris and tehsildars, conduct girdawari (Hindi for land record keeping) twice a year to document the details of cultivated land, tube can installation, type of cultivatet crop list, land area and status reviewing in rural holding. Web Girdawari Portal helps to keep accurate land and crop records, provides information for tax assessments, fights in the interests of farmers and also avoids conflicts over land grabbing.
Traditional Process of Girdawari
Traditional girdawari was conducted through visual observation, and roznamchas were maintained by the revenue department in which observations were noted. Inspectors would travel to every village during the Rabi and the Kharif season where all of this data was written away in registers, often leading to discrepancies, delays and leakages. The manual girdawari system was also liable to be tampered with, and its delayed operation led to lags in land revenue administration and contestations over possession & cropping statistics.
The Evolution: Digital Girdawari
Digital girdawari — A Big Reform by the Punjab Government and its Board of Revenue in this Regard Today, the Punjab government along with its Board of Revenue had undergone a major reform by introducing digital girdawari. Starting around 2020 or 2021, the project aimed to build mobile and web apps that used GPS tools to gather data from the field. The system links the crop and land inspections with the geospatial coordinates, that eradicates false entries and maintains accurate real time update from ground.
On the digital girdawari front, patwaris log in and enter data at a location with an authenticated login, and can only fill data about that plot if their GPS shows them on the same. The implementation substantially expanded the integrity validation of Girdawari data and minimized system errors by ensuring that field observations conformed to predefined verification rules. For example, Punjab BOR full digitization of crop inspection registers Rabi & Kharif and achieved 100% in the year 2022 covering all over province and implementations thousands of Dehi Markaz Maal(DMM) for access at rural revenue centres.
Punjab Land Girdawari
Punjab land girdawari — The term punjab land girdawari refers specifically to the province-wide implementation of Lies in Punjab, Pakistan. Punjab land girdawari performed online by the Board of Revenue Not only urban but also rural land verification is arranged. Dehi Markaz Maal Centres set up in the villages, pushing for accurate girdawari data in PunjabThe government can approach farmers or landowners directly and get their names inserted correctly in the girdawari, that too without visiting field offices far away from their homes.
This South Asian model of a provincial rollout has been transformational in terms of land records management in Punjab. Punjab land girdawari has not only lead to improved data management of crops; it has increased transparency and reduced the number of conflicts by ensuring correct records of cultivated parcels, helping strengthen revenue collection efforts.
Interplay With Jamabandi Girdawari
Jamabandi girdawari —A closely related concept to jamabandi, which helps in connecting the process of crop inspec今on with larger land〜record document. The Jamabandi lays down the particulars of rights pertaining to land i.e Owner, cultivator (meter reading), tenancy rights and shareholder or government Land etc. Jamabandi girdawari demonstrates modifications from the crop and land use information contained within Jamabandi records, which in turn assists in maintaining land document with ground recognition.
In the State of Punjab the jamabandi girdawari is integrated which facilitates revenue authorities to tally digital girdawari outputs with the entries in Jamabandi. This ensures that any issues like changing ownership, missed out co-owners or wrong classification of land are quickly detected, and such discrepancies are rectified in Jamabandi records which will be benefit for the farmers as well as legal process.
Access Via Web Girdawari Portal
A web girdawari portal was launched by the Government as a complement for field based inspection process. This is an online platform to view and download the girdawari reports along with crop inspection results pertaining to land parcels, for landowners, farmers, revenue staff, as well as citizens. This web girdawari portal is interconnected with Jamabandi and other land registration tools to ensure easy validation of data for Correction.
The girdawari updates or discrepencies, will lead to automated alerts and SMS notifications by the web girdawari portal at mobile numbers or emaiil addresses registered with Jamabandi records. This handholding with digital girdawari, jamabandi girdawari and web girdawari portal will provide convergence in access to the land records status trapping & stake holders got to understand about the progress of their requirements.
Benefits and Impact in Pakistan
There are many advantages of bringing girdawari digitalization in Pakistan, especially punjab land girdawari.
- First, shift from manual girdawari to digital would increase the veracity of crop and land data and consequently reduce the use of fake reports, further strengthening farmers security. Geolocation entry verification stops unauthorised or fake records
- Second Integrate MVV settlement with jamabandi girdawari At the time of MVV this integration of official ownership documents and the cultivation record is paramount to avoid conflicts in legalities. It offers landowners a clear understanding of their legal rights and responsibilities, thereby fostering greater confidence in land-related matters.
- Third, the web girdawari portal democratizes access as landholders can remotely view and download inspection data without having to visit patwari offices. This digital entry minimizes the paper work and lag in time.
- Fourth, aggregated punjab land girdawari data is used for agricultural planning, revenue estimation and resource allocation by the government, and for crop insurance programs.
This helps digitising will also help state land to be taken back by the state and also prevent land grabbing as records can be accessed at village level.
Challenges and Continuing Issues
Girdawari has taken a leap over the problematic issues, yet certain challenges are stumbling block in its implementation. In constituencies such as Rawalpindi, digitalization has been stalled and deadlines have been missed — until 2023, the eight main deadlines for completion of digital girdawari in all villages were said to be administratively impossible. Areas completely under new technlogy : all of this is fully up to date but incomplete coverage: there are parts where they have not been able to fully update the database,so some areas still rely on old manual records- making them inconsistent in both punjab land girdawari and jamabandi girdawaris.
At the same time, a few other user experiences have occasionally complained about problems with accessing the portal or payment systems associated with it in web girdawari portal but those were possibly more concentrated around early rollout phases. Nonetheless, even in Punjab, the majority of landowners do not face any hassle and access their records free of charge through digital forms. However, worries more than re `ente_angbeen = “patwari affect” in the rural parts of the nation nevertheless persist, which could sluggish digitization unless of training course there is ongoing oversight.
Future Prospects and Conclusion
Paving the way, girdawari in Pakistan is being digitised efficiently and legitly. The remaining gaps will also be filled by the continued expansion of punjab land girdawari now. Verification of Crop Inspection Data is obtained from jamabandi girdawari, which ensures maintenance of correct and current legal documents. Moreover, people will get more strength since then the traditional patwari channels would be less used and the web girdawari portal will help in providing freedom to them.
Digital girdawari is a key element to safeguard farmers from any possible future uncertainties, making land disputes and revenue administration contemporary. In the land of Pakistan, girdawari which was a manual and non transparent process once, today stands in an example as to how digitization can help bring accountability, accessibility and effective governance.
In summary, girdawari has transformed from an actual examination on the ground to systematized one; digital girdawari is that technical backbone; punjab land girdawari with scale wise reforms in state; jamabandi with final alignment of the data over legal documents and lastly web girdawari portal to make it available and transparent.
