Himachal Pradesh has introduced a major change in the e-KYC process for land records, making it mandatory for every landowner to complete individual verification. Previously, the process was account-based, where e-KYC of a single owner was considered sufficient for the entire landholding. However, with many land accounts having multiple owners—sometimes up to 30-40—the verification remained incomplete for several stakeholders. To address this issue, the central government has now made it compulsory for each landowner to undergo e-KYC separately.
The move is part of the Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP), under which land records are being linked with Aadhaar. The earlier account-based verification system led to discrepancies, prompting the central government to intervene and mandate individual identification to ensure accuracy and prevent land ownership disputes.
Following the new guidelines, the overall pace of e-KYC completion has slowed down as officials now need to reach out to all landowners instead of verifying just one per account. As a result, while the previous method had recorded over 60 percent completion, the updated system has covered only 27 percent of landowners in Himachal Pradesh so far.
Among districts, Kinnaur has made the most progress, whereas Kangra and Shimla are lagging. Bilaspur has achieved 35 percent completion, Chamba 28 percent, Hamirpur 40 percent, Kangra 22 percent, Kinnaur 44 percent, Kullu 29 percent, Lahaul-Spiti 37 percent, Mandi 31 percent, Shimla 22 percent, Sirmaur 23 percent, Solan 27 percent, and Una 28 percent.
At the tehsil level, Lagru and Khundiyan in Kangra district are leading, each with 49 percent of landowners verified. Barsar and Datwal tehsils of Hamirpur have completed 45 percent, while Bhota and Murang of Kinnaur have reached 48 percent. Sangla stands at 45 percent completion. In contrast, urban Shimla is lagging significantly behind with just 11 percent e-KYC completion. Other tehsils with slow progress include Baijnath (12 percent), Dharamshala (15 percent), Nurpur (13 percent), Palampur (13 percent), and Shahpur (15 percent).
The state government is now focusing on accelerating the process while ensuring that all landowners comply with the new e-KYC mandate. Officials have urged people to complete their verification at the earliest to prevent delays in land-related transactions and avoid legal complications in ownership records.
