A World Bank delegation led by Country Director for India Paul Procee met Secretary of the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) Narendra Bhooshan in New Delhi on June 15, 2026, to discuss collaboration on land governance reforms.During the meeting, the two sides deliberated on the possibility of developing an India-specific framework to assess land governance reforms across states. The government said such a framework could help benchmark progress, disseminate best practices and enable evidence-based policy interventions in the land sector.
Describing land as one of the most important productive assets for Indian households, Bhooshan said it plays a critical role in agricultural productivity, rural prosperity, urban development, financial inclusion and overall economic growth. He noted that while land remains the largest asset class for most families, its economic potential is still underutilised.
He stressed the need for modern, transparent and technology-enabled land governance systems to strengthen property rights, improve access to institutional credit, encourage investment and enhance ease of living for citizens.Bhooshan also highlighted the importance of leveraging emerging technologies such as geospatial systems, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and data-driven governance tools to improve land administration and service delivery. He emphasised continuous capacity building and learning from both national and international best practices.The Secretary outlined ongoing initiatives of the department, including modernisation of land records, survey and resurvey programmes, urban property record creation, watershed development and efforts to improve interoperability of land-related digital systems. He stressed the need for an integrated ecosystem where land records can support agriculture, credit delivery, planning and citizen services.The World Bank delegation shared international experiences and global best practices in land administration, digital land records, property governance, institutional strengthening and technology adoption. The discussions also covered opportunities for knowledge exchange, policy research and capacity building.Senior officials from the department and World Bank experts who attended the meeting included Klaus W. Deininger, Lead Economist at the World Bank; P. Narahari, Joint Secretary in the Department of Land Resources; Nitin Khade, Joint Secretary (WM) in the department; and Punit Kumar, Director (FB) in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
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