IMPHAL, April 25: In a major step toward enhancing urban governance, Manipur formally launched an online property tax platform for 26 municipal councils during an event held in Imphal on Thursday. The initiative is seen as a strong move towards ensuring transparency, efficiency, and digital accessibility in municipal services.
Prashant Kumar Singh, the state’s chief secretary, officiated the launch and commended the efforts of the Manipur Municipality Property Tax Board (MMPTB). He emphasized the importance of adequate training for smooth implementation and underscored the need for capacity building, transparency, and robust door-to-door services to make the system accessible to all citizens.
The platform provides a wide range of services including property registration, self-assessment, tax payment, and processing of requests such as amalgamation, separation, and mutation—all integrated into a single digital interface. There are 27 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Manipur, comprising one Municipal Corporation and 26 municipal councils. Under the Manipur Municipalities Act, 1994, all municipalities are expected to implement property tax collection from the current financial/assessment year 2025-26.
Additional features of the platform include official verification and approval processes, payment mechanisms for property tax, and data analytics capabilities for streamlined municipal functions.
Thursday’s launch also featured a live video interaction with Manpreet Singh, Chief Programme Officer of the National Urban Digital Mission (NUDM), and a tutorial video on property registration broadcasted as part of the event.
Prominent attendees included MMPTB Chairman H Deleep Singh; Finance Commissioner N Ashok Kumar; Revenue Secretary N Kheda Varta Singh; MAHUD Director Ng Uttam Singh; MARSAC Director O Nodiachand Singh; IMC Municipal Commissioner K Chandrakumar Singh; and Imphal City Ltd CEO Th Harikumar Singh, alongside senior representatives of various municipal councils.
The digital rollout marked the culmination of years of strategic planning, collaboration, and dedicated effort. A significant milestone in this journey was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and MMPTB in May 2022.
With this launch, Manipur has become the first state in India to sign under the NUDM of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The move represents a pioneering effort to digitally transform urban governance and service delivery in line with the mission’s objective of creating a unified digital infrastructure for urban India.
NIUA has played a crucial role by offering both financial and technical support throughout the platform’s development.
