JAMMU: To strengthen institutional capacity and enhance the technical skills of the field functionaries involved in property registration, the Department of Registration, J&K, in collaboration with the Revenue Training Institute Jammu organized a one-day sensitization-cum-training programme.

The focus of the training was on document registration through National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) in consonance with the provisions of The Registration Act, 1908, the Stamp Act, Samvat 1977, and other allied rules and regulations in vogue.

The training programme witnessed participation from over 30 officers physically and more than 50 officers virtually, including Registrars, Sub Registrars, Tehsildars and other supporting staff posted across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Inspector General of Registration J&K Bashir Ahmed Bhat, in his inaugural address, congratulated the department for its commendable Revenue contribution amounting to Rs. 600 crore in form of Registration Fees and Stamp Duty during the last financial year. He highlighted the multifaceted responsibilities of Registrars and Sub Registrars and said that the Training Programme aims to sensitize field officers regarding their legal, quasi-judicial, revenue, and statutory duties under the prevailing regulatory framework. He emphasized the participants to attend the training program actively as it would help them in gaining experience and learning the intricacies of document registration.

Earlier, the Training Programme commenced with a welcome address by Principal, Revenue Training Institute, Jammu Sunaina Sharma Mehta, who underscored the importance of continuous skill upgradation and legal orientation for registration personnel. She stated that this online and offline training programme orchestrated jointly by both the departments under the active and able guidance of worthy Financial Commissioner Revenue (ACS), Shaleen Kabra, and Inspector General Registration J&K Bashir Ahmad Bhat, inscribed for achieving greater transparency, accountability, and citizen satisfaction in registration-related services.

The technical sessions were conducted by a panel of domain experts and senior officers including, P. D. Kotwal, President, District Consumer Commission, Jammu and former District & Sessions Judge, who initiated the training with an insightful session on the roles, responsibilities, and legal obligations of Registrars and Sub Registrars under the Registration Act, 1908. This was followed by a technical session on the functioning and features of NGDRS, conducted by representatives from the NGDRS core technical team, which covered end-to- end digital registration processes, citizen service modules, and grievance redressal features. Then representative from Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. (SHCIL) delivered a session on the implementation of e-Stamping and its integration with the NGDRS portal, ensuring secure and tamper-proof stamp duty collection. The State Taxes Department (Stamps Wing) represented by State Taxes Officer, J&K conducted an analytical session on commonly encountered mistakes and misinterpretations while dealing with Schedule I of the Stamp Act, Samvat 1977, with emphasis on field-level implementation and scrutiny.

Executive Engineer (Central), Design Inspection and Quality Control Wing, J&K Shwetanki Sharma conducted a detailed presentation on valuation methodologies for built- up structures and the relevance of valuation in the context of property registration and stamp duty computation. Later on, Farooq Hussain, Tehsildar Consolidation, Jammu, and Ram Lal, Retd. Officer elaborated on relevant provisions of the Land Revenue Act and allied revenue laws governing the registration of documents.

While addressing the gathering, Mansoor Aslam Choudhary emphasized that this initiative reflects the Government's unwavering commitment in improving service delivery in the registration sector. He encouraged participants to utilize the training for enhancing Operational efficiency, minimizing procedural delays, and ensuring greater accuracy in land and property transactions, thereby facilitating ease of doing business and safeguarding citizen rights.

The training programme was also attended by key functionaries of the Department including Riaz Ahmad Wani, Additional Inspector General of Registration, Kashmir; Natasha Kalsotra, Registrar Jammu; Dr. Gurwinderjeet Singh, Registrar Udhampur; Manisha Koul, Registrar Samba; Varinder Gupta, Registrar Reasi and all Sub Registrars of the UT in hybrid mode including their supporting staff.