Punjab Land Records Authority-PLRA

Government of the Punjab started computerization of Land Records with overall objectives to improve service delivery and to enhance the perceived level of tenure security. Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) has been set up under the administrative control of the Board of Revenue, Government o f the Punjab. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) sets out in its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (December, 2003) a four-pronged approach to alleviating poverty: (i) achieving high and broad-based economic growth focusing particularly on the rural economy, while maintaining macroeconomic stability; (ii) improving governance and consolidating devolution, both as a means of delivering better development results and ensuring social and economic justice; (iii) investing in human capital with a renewed emphasis on effective delivery of basic social services; and (iv) bringing the poor and vulnerable and backward regions into the mainstream of development, and to make marked progress in reducing existing inequalities. The higher level objective of the Project is to improve the land records service delivery in the Province of Punjab, contributing to long-lasting tenure security. The outcomes, expected to result from the Project, are: Increased access to land records at lower transaction cost for the beneficiary, through a client-responsive service. Increased level of tenure security of land-right holders. success will be assessed by client satisfaction with the new system, in terms of access to records and increased level of tenure security, and by measures of improvement in services (reduced time for issuance of fards and completing mutations). Although the Project aims at benefiting the entire community of landowners, a specific target will be the underprivileged and marginal groups that are penalized by the existing land recording system. Specific measures for participation by women and subsistence farmers will therefore be monitored.