Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (NationPress) The legacy of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who envisioned an era of good governance characterized by swift solutions and ongoing commitment to public welfare, remains a beacon for India's administrative transformation. As the nation gears up to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary on December 25, 2025, a day set aside as Good Governance Day, the Ahmedabad district in Gujarat stands out as a prime example of governance that is both tech-driven and centered around citizens.

In alignment with this vision, the Gujarat government has emphasized making public services easily accessible, with Ahmedabad district establishing impressive standards in revenue administration via digital innovations. Over the last two years, under the leadership of the District Collector, the city and district administration have rolled out numerous structural reforms and pioneering projects that merge technology with governance, leading to notable improvements in efficiency, a reduction in procedural delays, and increased convenience for citizens.

A significant transformation has been the introduction of E-Dhara 2.0, which has completely digitized land records. Farmers now have the ability to access digitally signed and QR code-enabled 7/12 and 8-A land records online, ensuring precision and negating the necessity for in-person visits to government offices.

Additionally, the i-ORA portal has transitioned processes such as non-agricultural (NA) permissions and agricultural land purchase approvals entirely online. Concepts like ‘deemed permission’ have been implemented to ensure decisions are made promptly, thereby reducing bureaucratic hurdles.

As part of the Revenue Seva Setu initiative, the administration has facilitated night meetings, Lok Darbars, and special camps in remote villages within talukas, including Viramgam and Daskroi. Numerous longstanding cases involving inheritance rights, land ownership verification, and record corrections were addressed immediately, allowing beneficiaries to receive ownership documents on the same day.

Through the SVAMITVA scheme, drone-assisted surveys in villages have been employed to create legal property records of residential areas. Thousands of rural households have since been issued Property Cards, empowering them with ownership rights and access to institutional credit.

The advent of the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) has streamlined the document registration process in Ahmedabad. Online appointment systems and 24/7 registration facilities have increased transparency and effectively minimized the influence of middlemen at sub-registrar offices.

Moreover, the calculation and payment of premiums for converting new tenure land to old tenure has been fully digitized, employing software-based calculations using jantri rates for speed and accuracy.

The Ahmedabad Collectorate has also digitized thousands of land records and maps dating back to 1950, forming a modern digital archive that has expedited the resolution of land disputes. The district has also streamlined the online removal of bank liens from land records post-loan repayment through digital integration with banks, saving farmers from multiple visits to government offices.

To bolster industrial development, particularly in areas like Sanand, dedicated desks have been established to hasten land-related permissions. Approvals for NA status and premium payments, which once took considerable time, are now swiftly processed via the i-ORA portal.

In Dholera, India’s inaugural Smart City, GIS-based mapping has ensured conflict-free land acquisition, with compensation directly deposited into farmers' bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. For large-scale infrastructure projects like the Bullet Train and the Ring Road, the Ahmedabad district has utilized the Direct Purchase model, enabling direct communication with farmers and providing timely, transparent compensation via DBT.

As India honors Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s legacy, Ahmedabad’s tech-driven governance model serves as an apt homage to his aspirations. The district's reforms not only promote faster and more transparent service delivery but also resonate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’, marking a pivotal stride toward an inclusive, responsive, and future-ready administration.