Karnataka Assembly passes seven Bills, digitizing registration process

On Wednesday, the Legislative Assembly approved seven important Bills, including the Karnataka Stamp (Amendment) Bill. This Bill aims to fully digitize the registration of documents, such as sale deeds. Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda explained that the Bill will allow for electronic signatures and e-payments, moving away from the outdated manual stamping system. The long-term goal is to implement biometric registration. Another significant Bill, the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, was also passed. It will enable the issuance of e-khatas for properties in unauthorized layouts in villages, bringing them into the property tax system. Other Bills adopted include the Registration (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, which mandates the registration of power of attorney for property transfers. The Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition (Amendment) Bill aims to protect government and public land by ensuring Revenue officials fulfill their duties. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (Amendment) Bill will categorize any street as public and address private road development in Bengaluru. Additionally, the Assembly approved the Universities of Agricultural Sciences (Amendment) Bill to establish a new university in Mandya, and the Karnataka Village Offices Abolition (Amendment) Bill, which updates legal references. In related news, the Income Tax Department has tentatively agreed to allow Karnataka access to its database for verifying Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) during property document registrations. Minister Gowda noted that many applicants currently use PAN cards for identity verification to help prevent fraud. The state is also seeking access to passport data for further verification.