Karnataka will let rural families regularise gramathana properties without formal ownership papers, aiming to issue e-khatas for lakhs of undocumented plots within 100 days.
In a major relief for rural property owners in Karnataka, the state government has announced that it will amend rules to enable the issuance of e-Swathu records for properties located within gramathana limits even if they do not have formal ownership documents. The move is expected to benefit lakhs of rural families whose properties have been inherited over generations without registered title papers.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre made the announcement on Wednesday after reviewing the progress of the e-Swathu programme. According to him, nearly 65 lakh properties in gramathana areas across Karnataka have been passed down through generations without proper title documents, leaving many rural residents without clear property records. To address this issue, the government will introduce a one-time simplified mechanism to regularise such holdings and issue e-khatas within 100 days.
Khandre said the government will amend the relevant rules, invite public objections and verify genuine claims before granting e-Swathu records. The objective, he said, is to provide legal recognition to legitimate occupants while ensuring that government land is protected from encroachment or misuse.
"Providing property rights to rural residents is one of the Chief Minister's priority programmes," Khandre said. He emphasised that only genuine occupants would be granted property records under the revised framework, while government lands such as gomala land and kharab land would remain safeguarded.
The decision is expected to bring significant relief to rural households that have long lived on ancestral properties without formal documentation. In many gramathana areas, homes and sites have been inherited informally over decades, often through family arrangements rather than registered transactions. As a result, thousands of residents have been unable to secure official property records, which in turn affects their ability to access loans, undertake legal transfers, obtain building approvals or establish ownership for administrative purposes.
According to data shared by the minister, Karnataka has around 1.5 crore properties under 5,928 gram panchayats. Out of these, 53.5 lakh properties have already been issued e-Swathu records. Around 10 lakh properties have received B-khatas, while nearly 90 lakh properties are still without either A-khata or B-khata records. The large number of pending cases underlines the scale of the challenge and the importance of the proposed rule changes.
As part of the government's push to accelerate the process, the deadline for filing applications under Form 11B will also be extended until September. This extension is likely to provide additional time for eligible rural property holders to apply for regularisation and property record issuance under the revised system.
Khandre also instructed officials to speed up the processing of applications under the e-Swathu programme. To improve accountability, he said notices would be issued to Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) if applications remain pending for more than 15 days without valid reasons. This move is aimed at reducing delays and ensuring that the benefits of the programme reach rural residents within the promised timeline.
The government's decision is significant not only from a property rights perspective but also from a governance and rural development standpoint. Formal property records are essential for improving land administration, reducing disputes and enabling rural households to participate more effectively in the formal economy. An e-khata or e-Swathu record can help families establish proof of occupation, support property transfers and improve access to credit and welfare-linked services.
If implemented effectively, the one-time regularisation measure could become one of Karnataka's most impactful rural property reforms in recent years. By extending recognition to long-settled but undocumented properties within gramathana limits, the government aims to provide security to genuine rural occupants while maintaining safeguards against encroachment on public land.
The coming months will be crucial as the state finalises the amended rules, invites objections and begins issuing e-khatas under the new framework. For lakhs of rural property owners in Karnataka, the move could mark an important step towards securing long-awaited legal recognition of their homes and ancestral holdings.
