It is no easy task, however. "Even when we buy property, we have to go through months of due diligence because the records are kept at the tahsildar's office. Imagine doing this across the country," said Revathi Ashok, director of finance at TCI Ventures.

"From a developer point of view it would be phenomenal if the government would do it," Ashok said. "But it could concentrate power in the hands of a single individual. The key is how they go about collecting the data and verifying ownership before guaranteeing title."

In 1987, Manmohan Singh, then deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, had appointed a one-man committee to study the feasibility of state guaranteed titles. The proposal has now got a fillip after it was added as one of the preconditions to the urban renewal Mission.

Many believe that government guarantees will prove to be a boon to courts. "I would estimate that over 90% of the civil cases in this coun try's court system relate to property disputes," said Swati Ramanathan, co-founder of non-profit Janaagraha, who is anchoring the Jaipur pilot that is expected to be completed in two months.

"The government may at some point, consid , er setting up a fund which it will use to make payments in case of title fraud. We haven't finalised a model yet. What we do depends on what comes out of the pilots," said Rajamani.

The task of ascertaining ownership will be "humungous," concedes former urban development secretary Anil Baijal, who initiated the Belgaum project. Another wrinkle: because land is a state subject, the Central government cannot mandate a law that will apply across the country .

"The government should be able to certify title. In the case of a mistake in certification, the government should pay the buyer. Underwriters and insurers could provide this scheme," adds Baijal.