Aadhaar, caste optional when uploading non-agricultural property details on Dharani

Hyderabad: The state government told the Telangana High Court that mentioning the owner’s Aadhaar and caste details was optional when the details of non-agriculture property is being entered on the Dharani portal.

This was stated in an affidavit of Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, filed in response to the High Court asking the government under which law the details were being collected. The court had issued interim directions and stayed the entry of non-agricultural property details.

The Chief Secretary explained that the government was not insisting on property owners to give caste details. Only the community status such SC, ST, BC, OC were being collected as per the Constitutional scheme.

The government said Aadhaar details were being collected for the sake of extending subsidies and government schemes. The government is providing subsidised water and power suply. Recently, 50 per cent of property, tax waiver was given to property owners, the affidavit said.

The government said the digitalisation of the non-agriculture property details would continue. Having a digital record would be very useful, and the properties could be protected from litigation. The government said several litigations had piled up over agriculture and non-agriculture properties, and it was making an effort to streamline the transactions and safeguarding the ownership.

Responding to apprehensions over the safety and protection of data which was collected for the Dharani portal, the government said it will be saved in the State Data Centre. It had taken safety measures against hacking and changing the details. No third party could get the details of property owners.