Curation Team
The central government’s target of 100% digitisation of land rights records by December across the country will boost foreign direct investment (FDI) in real estate as land acquisition is the biggest hurdle for builders, experts said.
Commercial real estate—offices, logistics and data centres—will see faster land acquisition and residential segment too will benefit as clear titles will boost mid-segment and luxury projects in markets such as Gurgaon and Chennai, they said.
“These reforms are among the most critical factors for unlocking large-scale foreign investment and ensuring sustainable growth in Indian real estate. Digitised records enable faster land acquisition for Grade-A office complexes,” said Anshuman Magazine, chairman & CEO, India, Middle East and Africa, CBRE. “Digitisation of land records is not optional anymore—it’s a necessity. Some states have made progress, though the extent varies, but the larger point is that India has no choice but to digitise land wherever possible.”
So far, 372.12 million, or 99.8%, of available land records, have been digitised, according to the latest land resources department data. Similarly, 97.3% of cadastral maps—detailed government records showing property boundaries and land ownership within an area, serving as a legal blueprint for real estate transactions and land administration–have been digitised. As many as 89.7% of revenue courts and all the sub-registrar offices across the country have also been computerised.
“The single biggest challenge that land intensive sectors like warehousing, township projects and data centres face is land acquisition. In most cases, except in the rare few where the government or authorities are selling or leasing the land, land titles are disputed, ownership is not properly recorded or mutation is absent which makes the process of acquisition costly, time-consuming and open to litigation,” said Gagan Randev, executive director, India Sotheby’s International Realty.
Digitisation of records provides clarity on titles.
“Digitised records will not only streamline land transactions but also enhance investor confidence. Greater transparency and ease of verification will reduce disputes, accelerate project completion and create a more conducive environment for both domestic and foreign investments,” said Pradeep Aggarwal, founder and chairman of Signature Global (India) Ltd.
Institutional investment activity in India’s real estate during the June quarter amounted to Rs 17,530 crore ($2.05 billion), up 67% quarter-on-quarter, according to Cushman & Wakefield.
Consequently, institutional investment in the first half of 2025 stood at $3.3 billion, as against $7.1 billion recorded in the entire 2024.
“We expect this move to significantly boost FDI inflows, as global investors place high value on regulatory clarity and ease of transactions,” said Ashish Sharma, assistant vice president of operations, Brahma Group.
After a slow start to the year, foreign investors’ share in the June quarter grew to 68%, with domestic investors contributing the remaining 32%.
The residential sector was the most attractive in the April-June period, receiving a 24% share of the inflows, followed by the office sector (22%) and the retail sector (19%). Mumbai garnered 42% of the investment during the quarter, followed by Kolkata (19%) and Delhi-National Capital Region (16%), respectively. Alternative investment funds have initiated the deployment of funds raised in 2024.
Magazine said digitisation of land records will create a transparent, tamper-proof system, reducing fraud and aligning India with global standards like Singapore’s e-services or Estonia’s e-Land Register.
