Launch of e-Khazana

 The idea of doing away with the age-old manual land tax payment system in the state is expected to increase land revenue collection, besides minimizing various land-related problems, including corruption. Apart from this, this move will help the Government to get a clear picture of the lands and landholders in the state. State Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Jogen Mohan launched the e-Khazana system in the mouzadari areas of the state on April 1, 2023. The Directorate of Land Records and Surveys developed the e-Khazana system under the guidance of the Chief Minister and the Revenue and Disaster Management Department. With the launch of the e-Khazana system, the landholders in the state, barring the districts under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, will have to opt for the electronic mode of land tax payment.

The state has two categories of districts: Tehshildari and Mouzadari. The teshildari districts in the state are Dhubri, Goalpara, South Salmara, Mankachar, Bongaigaon, Karimganj, and a few others. Most of the districts in the State are under the mouzadari system. The State Government introduced the e-Khazana system in the tehsildari districts on November 14, 2022, when the Chief Minister launched Mission Basundhara 2.0. The government brought the mouzadari districts under the e-Khazana fold on April 1. Launching the system, Minister Jogen Mohan said that under the e-Khazana system, the citizens will have to follow a two-fold approach: registration (e-KYC) and paying land tax. The registration of citizens under the e-Khazana system started on April 1, 2023. It will continue up to June 30, 2023.

Following the Agriculture Revenue Year, land tax is collected in the state from July 1 every year. The citizens who successfully register their names in the e-Khazana system will be able to pay land tax electronically from July 1. However, the process of registration will continue after June 30 as well, the minister said. To register their names, the landholders will have to visit the RTPS (Right to Public Services)/Sewasetu portal or the Mission Basundhara portal, click e-Khazana, upload their Aadhaar or PAN cards, and the last khazana payment receipt. The department will verify it in three steps: mouzadar, mandal, and circle officer. The approval by the circle officer is the final step in the registration process, paving the way for the payment of Khazana electronically. The landholders will get receipts in the e-mode. According to the minister, if a person has lands in different places, the same registration will serve the purpose if the landholder mentions all the lands he has in each place. The electronic mode of paying land tax also has other benefits. This system will save time for landholders. This system has the potential to fulfil the government’s dream of bringing administration to the doorsteps of the citizens. According to the minister, so far, 3,413 landholders in Tehshil districts have paid land tax through the e-Khazana system. The state Government collected Rs 185 crore in land taxes last year, compared to Rs 33 crore in 2014-15. And with the launch of e-Khazana, the collection of land tax is expected to go up.