Delhi Orders Departmental Reforms Following World Bank Assessment Gaps
The Delhi government has instructed its administrative departments to prepare time-bound action plans following a World Bank assessment that exposed major deficiencies in the capital's basic business systems. The order came during a high-level review meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary last month in New Delhi, after the city received zero or partial scores on multiple performance indicators.
Departmental heads and key officials have been tasked with identifying existing systemic gaps and prioritizing key reform measures. The administration has set a strict timeline, directing departments to focus on reforms that can be fully implemented within the next two months.
The evaluation was conducted as part of the World Bank Group’s Business Ready (B-READY) assessment. Despite Delhi operating several online government services, the review highlighted critical shortcomings in fundamental systems, including property records, property registration processes, construction approvals, and water-quality monitoring.
A primary area of concern highlighted during the review was the capital's heavily fragmented land-record system. Currently, crucial details regarding land ownership, mutation, property registration, and property tax collection are managed by separate departments and civic bodies. This division makes it difficult for individuals and businesses to access consolidated property information in a single location.
To streamline land administration, the Delhi government plans to develop a unified platform called the 'Delhi Land Stack.' This platform is designed to consolidate land records and property-related data from all relevant departments and agencies into a single integrated framework.
The review meeting also revealed that numerous legacy land and lease records held by key civic agencies—including the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)—have still not been digitised.
In response, the government has directed the DDA, MCD, and NDMC to expedite their record digitisation projects. The agencies are required to integrate all converted records into the proposed unified land-information system, with a fixed target completion date of August 2026.
