UP announces stamp duty exemption for ex-servicemen, persons with disability

The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the stamp duty exemption, limited to women earlier, to ex-servicemen and persons with disability.

The announcement was made during a meeting of the Stamp and Registration Department on Thursday, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also issued a series of directives aimed at increasing government efficiency.

"Based on the positive outcomes of a pilot project in five districts, CM Adityanath directed that e-payment of registration fees above Rs 20,000 be made mandatory across all districts," a statement said.

"He also called for the implementation of Aadhaar authentication to curb fraud and a single-window e-registration system for allottees of development authorities to simplify procedures," it added.

Adityanath instructed officials to fill vacant posts at the earliest, and also asked officials to explore more options for stamp sales and rationalise vendors' commissions.

He announced that stamp duty and registration fees will be waived on lease agreements of up to 10 years for small and medium-scale rentals.

Stamp and Registration Minister Ravindra Jaiswal was present in the meeting, where a significant progress in digitisation was reported.

Officials informed the chief minister that 99 per cent of registered deeds from 2002 to 2017 were already digitised, while over 98 per cent of current registrations were carried out via e-stamp.

Valuation lists have been revised across districts to remove discrepancies, and CCTV cameras are being installed in sub-registrar offices to enhance security, they said.