In a move aimed at making land and property transactions easier for citizens, the Punjab government has simplified the language used in property registration documents by replacing 35 complex revenue terms with commonly understood Punjabi words. The initiative is expected to improve transparency, reduce confusion, and make government services more accessible to the general public.
The decision has been approved under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and is being implemented by the Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Department. According to Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, the traditional terminology used in revenue and registration records often created difficulties for ordinary citizens, as many of the terms were derived from Persian or Urdu and were not easily understood by the public.
To address this issue, the state government constituted a special committee on the directions of the Chief Minister. The committee was tasked with reviewing the existing terminology and recommending simpler alternatives that would be easier for citizens to understand while maintaining legal clarity.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the government has replaced 35 long-used technical terms with simple Punjabi equivalents. For example, “Arazi” has been replaced with “Zameen” (land), “Sakin” with “Vasneek” (resident), “Hiba” with “Daan” (gift), and “Tarmeem” with “Sodh” or “Darusti” (correction). Similarly, “Bainama” will now be referred to as “Vikri Nama” (sale deed), while “Mushtarka” has been changed to “Sanjha” (joint). Other commonly used legal terms such as “Fard,” “Faut,” and “Mansookh Karna” have also been replaced with more familiar Punjabi words.
The government believes that simplifying the language will help citizens better understand land records, sale deeds, mutation documents, and other property-related paperwork without relying heavily on intermediaries or legal experts. This is expected to make property transactions more transparent and reduce the scope for misunderstandings during registration.
To ensure smooth implementation, the Punjab government has directed the Inspector General of Registration and all Deputy Commissioners to immediately adopt the revised terminology in all property registration documents across the state.
The initiative forms part of the government’s broader administrative reforms focused on citizen-centric governance and improving the ease of accessing public services. By using simple and familiar language in official documents, the government aims to make property registration more user-friendly while enhancing public confidence in the revenue administration system.
