Emphasising the importance of curbing land disputes, the CM directed to ensure mandatory verification of land ownership before registration

IN An attempt to check a large number of property disputes due to forged registration documents, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made verification of documents and land mandatory before registration, emphasising that this would help reduce land disputes.

The move came during a review meeting of the Stamp and Registration Department. He also stressed the need to simplify the registration process and make more use of technology to save time and resources. The CM also proposed stamp duty concession for property registration in women’s name.

At present, women receive a 1% discount on stamp duty for property registrations up to Rs 10 lakh. According to the government, Adityanath directed officials to extend this benefit up to Rs 1 crore to strengthen women’s participation in the economy and making property ownership more accessible.

The CM also directed officials to “ensure uniformity” in circle rate determination, especially in “areas with similar conditions”. He said while deciding the rates, factors such as development, urbanisation, and progress in basic infrastructure should be taken into account so that the general public can benefit directly.

It was found that stamp duty revenue in UP tripled in last 8 years —from Rs 11,000 crore in 2016–17 to over Rs 30,000 crore in 2024–25.

The department also registered a year-on-year increase of 11.67% in 2024–25. Circle rates have already been revised in 45 districts and the process is ongoing in the remaining 30.

The CM directed the fee for dividing and registering ancestral property among family members should be capped at Rs 5,000. This would apply to property divisions involving a living person and their three preceding generations.