Technical Glitches Plague Karnataka's e-Swathu 2.0 Software, Hindering Rural Property Regularization
Significant technical glitches in the e-Swathu 2.0 software have severely limited applications and approvals for rural property regularization across Karnataka. Since its launch on December 1, 2025, the system has received only 44,508 regularization requests, with a mere 7,978 properties—approximately 18% of applications—receiving the crucial e-Swathu certificates that serve as digital property records for gram panchayat jurisdictions.
Ambitious Targets Meet Digital Hurdles
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department had set an ambitious target to regularize over 97 lakh rural properties across the state. However, the initiative has faced substantial hurdles during its initial two months of operation, with technical issues significantly hampering progress.
District-Wide Disparities in Application Numbers
According to RDPR data compiled until January 27, 2026, only 11 districts managed to cross the 1,000-application mark, while 20 districts recorded alarmingly low numbers. The district-wise breakdown reveals significant disparities:
- Haveri district topped the list with 15,768 applications
- Dharwad followed with 4,159 applications
- Bengaluru Urban district recorded 4,149 applications
- Davanagere reported 3,973 applications
- Tumakuru completed the top five with 2,254 applications
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Kodagu district found itself in 31st place with only 20 applications, highlighting the uneven implementation across regions.
Certificate Issuance Lags Behind Applications
The data further reveals that certificate issuance has been particularly sluggish. Bengaluru Urban district emerged as the top performer, issuing 1,854 e-Swathu certificates over two months—the only district to cross the 1,000-certificate threshold. Bengaluru Rural district secured second place with 538 certificates, while the remaining 29 districts failed to cross the 500-certificate mark.
Political Response and Technical Accountability
RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge has attributed the slow progress to technical deficiencies, specifically blaming the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the software issues. On January 14, Minister Kharge wrote to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, urging immediate optimization and stabilization of the e-Swathu application to address the ongoing challenges.
The issue gained political prominence during the ongoing legislature session when Kiran Kumar Kodgi, BJP MLA from Kundapur, raised questions about the technical glitches affecting the system. In response, Minister Priyank informed the House, "The government has observed technical issues in some applications due to defects in the NIC-developed software, and hence corrective measures are underway. The issues will be resolved in 15 days."
Multiple Software Issues Identified
According to RDPR officials, the software suffers from multiple technical problems that have hampered its functionality:
- Difficulties in applying for conversion of 11-B khatas into 11-A khatas
- Challenges in processing applications for new layouts
- Issues with applications for multi-storey apartment buildings
- Problems in applying for e-Swathu certificates for KIADB properties
- Technical hurdles in converting measurement units from guntas and cents to square metres
The department is currently coordinating with NIC to resolve all identified issues as quickly as possible, though the timeline for complete resolution remains uncertain.
Top Five Districts: Applications vs. Certificates
A comparative analysis of the top five districts reveals significant gaps between applications received and certificates issued:
- Haveri: 15,768 applications, 400 certificates issued
- Dharwad: 4,159 applications, 315 certificates issued
- Bengaluru Urban: 4,149 applications, 1,854 certificates issued
- Davanagere: 3,973 applications, 142 certificates issued
- Tumakuru: 2,254 applications, 334 certificates issued
These figures, covering the period from December 1, 2025, to January 27, 2026, underscore the substantial backlog and processing challenges facing the e-Swathu 2.0 system.
