The project is modelled on the CARD (Computerisation of the Registration Department) initiated by Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. But PEARL is an expanded version of CARD, according to Aruna Sundarrajan, Kerala IT Secretary.

"The main feature of the project is that the existing registration system is being replaced by a system of online processing. For this every sub registry office would have a local area network with adequate terminals for customer servicing," Aruna Sundarrajan said. The project is jointly undertaken by National Informatics Centre (NIC), state IT department and registration department, she added.

In the first phase, the PEARL project envisages computerisation of 14 subregistrar offices at a cost of Rs 1.31 crore. Computerisation will cover registration of all categories of documents, issue of encumbrance certificate and issue of certified copies.

The advantages of PEARL include registration of documents within one hour as against two weeks, issuance of encumbrance certificates in 10 minutes instead of the existing situation where it takes upto one week.

Certified copies of documents can be issued within minimal time as maintenance and filing of documents is being done electronically. Data warehousing and retrieval system are an integral part of the package. The entire process of document writing and registration is substantially simplified as document writers are no longer required to prepare filing sheets, in the new computerised system.

Moreover the implementation of the project would pave the way for transparency in the registration department and enable more effective monitoring. It would also enhance the revenue collection in the state, IT secretary said.m Kerala has identified a list of government departments having a high level of public interface for priority IT implementation, she added.