Sri Lanka Moves to Digitise 3.5 Million Land Records

COLOMBO (News 1st); For generations, land ownership in Sri Lanka has been tangled in paperwork, delays and disputed records. The government now wants to change that, betting that secure land rights and modern digital systems can unlock economic activity and bring greater certainty to millions of landowners.

Presenting the 2027 Budget, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced a fresh push to modernise the country's land administration framework, with a strong focus on land title registration, digitalisation and the creation of a more reliable land information system.

A sum of Rs. 800 million has been allocated to further strengthen the ongoing Bimsaviya programme, which aims to provide clear and legally recognised land titles across the country.

The government will also continue programmes aimed at registering land ownership, digitising land records and upgrading land information systems, with Rs. 140 million earmarked for those activities.

In one of the most significant digital land initiatives announced in the Budget, the government plans to begin integrating the plans of 3.5 million land parcels currently held in hard-copy format by the Survey Department into a modern digital land information system.