Getting a farm loan could become faster and less paperwork-intensive as the Centre explores linking digital land records with the Unified Lending Interface (ULI). The proposed integration aims to enable secure, consent-based access to institutional credit, particularly for farmers and rural citizens, the ministry of rural development said. The proposal was discussed at a high-level meeting between the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) and the RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH), where officials explored how Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for land governance could work alongside digital lending systems. The meeting was chaired by department of land resources secretary Narendra Bhooshan and attended by RBI innovation hub chief executive officer Sahil Kini and other senior officials.A key focus of the discussions was the use of authenticated and interoperable digital land records to simplify access to formal credit. According to the ministry, the objective is to enable “seamless, secure, and consent-based credit delivery, particularly for farmers and rural citizens.”Officials also deliberated on ways to use verified digital land records to improve transparency and efficiency across the lending ecosystem, while making institutional credit easier to access.The discussions identified several areas where the two platforms could work together. These included providing secure and standardised access to authenticated land records, speeding up the digital disbursal of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) and other agricultural loans, lowering transaction costs and shortening loan processing timelines.The meeting also looked at measures to strengthen safeguards in agricultural lending. These included using mortgage information and flag-marking mechanisms to reduce the risk of multiple loans being issued against the same land parcel. Another area of focus was promoting financial inclusion by allowing land records to serve as trusted digital assets for accessing formal credit.Participants also discussed the adoption of common data standards, API interoperability and wider use of the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), also known as Bhu-Aadhaar, to improve coordination between land governance and financial sector systems.The ministry said the department of land resources has reiterated its commitment to working with RBI Innovation Hub and other stakeholders to develop a “secure, interoperable, and citizen-centric Digital Public Infrastructure” that strengthens land governance while expanding access to formal credit across rural India.
