Revenue Services – Uttar Pradesh Expands Village Access Through Regular Lekhpal Presence
Revenue Services – The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a new system to ensure that Lekhpals remain available at Gram Secretariats on a regular basis from July 1, making essential revenue services easier to access for people living in villages. The move is intended to reduce the need for residents to travel repeatedly to tehsil offices for routine official work while improving the speed and transparency of public service delivery.
District Administrations Asked to Prepare Attendance Plans
To implement the new arrangement, the Revenue Board has instructed District Magistrates across all districts to prepare attendance schedules for Lekhpals and ensure their consistent presence at Gram Secretariats. Officials have also been directed to make suitable seating and office arrangements so that villagers can conveniently meet revenue staff at the local level.
The government believes that a structured attendance system will improve accountability and make it easier for citizens to receive timely assistance for revenue-related matters without unnecessary delays.
Initiative Linked to Better Rural Governance
Revenue Board Commissioner and Secretary Kanchan Verma said the decision reflects the state government’s continued emphasis on improving governance in rural areas. According to her, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has consistently encouraged greater transparency, better administrative efficiency and doorstep delivery of government services.
She said that ensuring the regular availability of Lekhpals at Gram Secretariats would strengthen public trust while making government services more responsive to the needs of village residents. The initiative is expected to improve coordination between local officials and citizens seeking assistance with revenue matters.
Gram Secretariats to Offer Stronger Public Services
Gram Secretariats were established to provide multiple government services from a single location within every Gram Panchayat. Officials from several departments already work through these centres, allowing villagers to access different public services without visiting multiple government offices.
With Lekhpals now required to remain available according to fixed schedules, the government expects these centres to become more effective in handling revenue-related requests. Citizens will be able to apply for income, caste, domicile and status certificates, obtain certified copies of Khatauni records and complete several other services provided by the Revenue Department at their local Gram Secretariat.
Officials believe this arrangement will significantly reduce waiting time and eliminate repeated trips to tehsil headquarters for routine documentation.
Wider Administrative Responsibilities of Lekhpals
Apart from issuing certificates and maintaining land records, Lekhpals perform several important administrative duties that directly affect the implementation of government programmes. Their responsibilities include processing inheritance cases, supporting the SVAMITVA Yojana, verifying beneficiaries under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme and assisting in disaster relief and rehabilitation activities.
They are also responsible for conducting agricultural and population surveys, inspecting crop conditions, reporting natural calamities, resolving land-related disputes, investigating cases of encroachment, carrying out mining-related verification, verifying beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System and inspecting paddy and wheat procurement centres.
The Revenue Board noted that reports prepared by Lekhpals are essential for the implementation of numerous welfare schemes and administrative decisions across the state.
Reduced Dependence on Tehsil Offices
Until now, villagers frequently experienced inconvenience because there was no fixed system ensuring that Lekhpals remained available at the Gram Panchayat level. As a result, many residents had to visit tehsil offices several times before their applications or verification work could be completed.
The new attendance mechanism is designed to address this long-standing issue by ensuring predictable availability of revenue officials in villages. According to the government, the measure will help transform Gram Secretariats into comprehensive service centres that provide transparent, efficient and citizen-friendly revenue services closer to people’s homes.