Department of Land Resources, RBI Innovation Hub Explore Digital Land-Credit Infrastructure for Rural Lending

New Delhi, July 18, 2026: The Department of Land Resources (DoLR), under the Ministry of Rural Development, has initiated discussions with the RBI Innovation Hub (RBIH) to explore the convergence of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for land governance and digital lending, with the aim of expanding access to institutional credit for farmers and rural citizens.

The high-level meeting was chaired by Shri Narendra Bhooshan, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, who met with RBI Innovation Hub CEO Sahil Kini and senior officials to discuss how authenticated digital land records can be integrated with the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) for seamless, secure and consent-based credit delivery.

The RBI Innovation Hub delegation included Chief Product Officer Abhishek Poddar, Vice President Arun Seethamraju, and Assistant General Manager – Solutioning & Partnerships Aditi Dubey. Senior officials from the Department of Land Resources, including Joint Secretary Parikipandla Narahari, Director Shyam Kumar, and Director Amit Kumar Singh, also participated in the meeting.

Focus on Digital Public Infrastructure for Land and Credit

The discussions centred on creating synergies between the Department's digital land governance initiatives and the Unified Lending Interface to simplify access to agricultural and rural credit.

Officials noted that authenticated and interoperable digital land records could enhance transparency, improve operational efficiency and make institutional lending more accessible by enabling trusted verification of land ownership.

Key Areas of Collaboration

The Department of Land Resources and RBI Innovation Hub discussed several priority areas for collaboration aimed at strengthening the digital lending ecosystem.

• Enabling secure and standardised access to authenticated digital land records.
• Accelerating the digital delivery of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) and other agricultural loans.
• Reducing transaction costs and improving loan processing timelines.
• Strengthening risk management through mortgage information and flag-marking mechanisms to prevent multiple financing against the same land parcel.
• Promoting financial inclusion by enabling land to function as a trusted digital asset for accessing formal credit.

Emphasis on Interoperability and Common Standards

The meeting also highlighted the need to adopt common data standards, ensure API interoperability, expand the use of the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), also known as Bhu-Aadhaar, and strengthen collaboration between land governance authorities and financial sector stakeholders.

According to the Department, such measures are expected to improve the efficiency of digital public infrastructure while supporting transparent and citizen-centric service delivery.

Citizen-Centric Digital Ecosystem

The Department of Land Resources reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with RBI Innovation Hub and other stakeholders to develop a secure, interoperable and citizen-centric Digital Public Infrastructure that enhances land governance and broadens access to formal credit across rural India.

About Department of Land Resources

The Department of Land Resources, under the Ministry of Rural Development, is responsible for policies and programmes related to land reforms, land records modernisation and land governance across India.

About RBI Innovation Hub

RBI Innovation Hub is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India that works to foster innovation in the financial sector and promote the development of digital financial infrastructure.

 

(Inputs from PIB release)