Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has constituted a high-level committee to comprehensively review and revise the existing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) manuals governing the recording of government and private (raiyati) land in the state.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arabinda Padhee, has directed officials to prepare a revised draft SOP for the process of recording both government-owned and private land.
The current SOP manuals were last published in 1990. In view of significant changes in policies, laws, administrative mechanisms, and procedural frameworks over the past three decades, the government has decided that a thorough revision is now essential. The committee will be headed by the Special Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
Its members include the Additional Secretary of Consolidation and Settlement (CH&S), Director of Land Records and Survey (DLR&S), Odisha, Secretary of the Board of Revenue, Odisha, and the Joint Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, who will function as Member-Convener.
As per its mandate, the panel will review the 1990 SOPs, examine all laws, regulations, government circulars, and administrative instructions introduced since then, and prepare a fresh SOP draft in simple Odia and English for wider accessibility and effective implementation.
The committee has been asked to submit the revised SOP manual to the government for approval within one month from the issuance of the order. It may also seek assistance from experts and other officials if necessary.
The move is aimed at modernising Odisha’s land administration system, improving transparency, and strengthening the legal and procedural framework for land record management across the state.