Telangana CM Raises Concerns Over Data Breach in Dharani Portal
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has voiced serious concerns about a breach of sensitive land records via the Dharani portal, a platform introduced by the previous government. He revealed that confidential data belonging to Telangana farmers, including Aadhaar numbers, bank account details, and phone numbers, was exposed to foreign entities. This breach may have allowed criminal organizations involved in financial crimes to access personal and sensitive information.
During a discussion on the Telangana Bhoobharthi (Land Rights) Act, 2024, in the legislative assembly, the Chief Minister elaborated on the issues caused by the Dharani portal. While the portal was originally created to protect land records, it inadvertently compromised critical data, allowing it to cross national borders and putting farmers’ privacy at risk.
Revanth Reddy highlighted that personal information collected since 2020, including Aadhaar and bank account details, had fallen into the hands of foreign entities. Some of these entities were allegedly linked to economic crimes, raising serious concerns about the potential misuse of this data.
To address these issues, the Telangana government introduced the Bhoobharthi Act in 2024. This new legislation aims to secure and manage land records for 1.52 million acres across the state. The Chief Minister assured that the law would protect land ownership rights, improve public trust, and provide a reliable framework for land record management.
The Chief Minister also criticized the previous government’s mishandling of the Dharani portal. He revealed that key data had been outsourced to foreign companies, including those based in tax havens like the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. Companies such as Falcon SG (Philippines) and Falcon Investments reportedly gained access to Telangana’s land records, raising alarms about data security.
Additionally, it was discovered that private companies had unauthorizedly altered land ownership details, including records of government, temple, and private lands. These unauthorized changes further highlighted the lack of oversight and the risks posed by outsourcing crucial data management to external entities.
Upon taking office, the new government investigated the agreements made by the previous administration. It found that these agreements violated regulations, enabling foreign companies to access sensitive data. Revanth Reddy revealed that some companies, like Falcon Investments, were uncooperative and obstructed efforts to transfer the data to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for secure handling.
“To ensure confidentiality and security, we decided to move the management of the Dharani portal to NIC,” the Chief Minister said. “However, private entities resisted, holding on to the data illegally.”
Despite these challenges, the government introduced the Bhoobharthi Act to resolve the issues caused by the Dharani portal. Revanth Reddy emphasized that while the process took time, the new measures would prioritize the interests of the people and ensure the safety of land records under state supervision.
He concluded by stating that the Bhoobharthi Act, 2024, represents a step toward transparency and trust. The government is committed to protecting the rights of Telangana’s people and ensuring that such breaches do not occur in the future. He assured citizens that their trust in the government would be upheld through continued efforts to safeguard their interests.
