Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh reviewed the progress made regarding implementation of SVAMITVA scheme and e-Panchayat programmes.

Giriraj Singh took charge as the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister last week.

What is SVAMITVA scheme?

• The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme was launched by PM Modi on April 24, 2020, as a central scheme to promote a socio-economically empowered and self-reliant rural India.

• It aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.

• The scheme has the potential to transform rural India using modern technical tools of mapping and surveying. 

• The scheme will cover around 6.62 lakh villages of the entire country between 2021 and 2025.

• The ministry of panchayati raj (MoPR) is the nodal ministry for implementation of the scheme. 

• In states, the revenue department/land records department will be the nodal department and shall carry out the scheme with support of state panchayati raj department. 

• Survey of India shall work as the technology partner for implementation.

• The scheme aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India. 

• The demarcation of rural abadi (inhabited) areas would be done using drone surveying technology. 

• This would provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited rural areas in villages which, in turn, would enable them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits from banks.

The scheme seeks to achieve the following objectives:

• Bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.

• Creation of accurate land records for rural planning.

• Determination of property tax, which would accrue to the Gram Panchayats directly in states where it is devolved or else, add to the state exchequer.

• Creation of survey infrastructure and geographic information system (GIS)  maps that can be leveraged by any department for their use.

• To support preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps.

• Reduce property related disputes and legal cases.

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