PM Narendra Modi to distribute 6.5 million Svamitva property cards to 50,000 villages across 10 states, two UTs

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute 6.5 million property cards to 50,000 villages across 10 states and two UTs under the Svamitva scheme on Saturday, to provide records of rights to property owners in inhabited rural areas using drone and GIS technology, said union panchayati raj (PR) secretary Vivek Agarwal.

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The Svamitva scheme, launched by Modi in April 2020, is aimed at creating records of rights (RoR) in revenue documents for inhabited areas (as opposed to agricultural land) in villages. The scheme has completed drone surveys in 317,000 villages and created 22.4 million property cards.

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At the national level, a total of 346,187 villages have been notified under the scheme and property cards have been prepared for 153,726 villages.

The parliamentary standing committee on rural development and panchayati raj recently raised concerns over the implementation of drone-based mapping of land parcels in rural areas.

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The scheme covers aspects like facilitating monetization of properties and enabling bank loans, reducing property-related disputes, and comprehensive village-level planning, which will be the stepping-stone towards making rural India self-reliant.

Banks are now recognizing Svamitva property cards as valid collateral for asset monetization and mortgaging the property. This enables property owners to secure loans and leverage their land for financial support and development.

The panchayati raj ministry is planning to showcase the success of the Svamitva scheme globally. For this, the ministry in collaboration with the external affairs ministry will host an international workshop on land governance in India with participation of 40 representatives from 20 countries across southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America in March, Agarwal said.

The secretary said that the ministry is planning to participate in the World Bank Land Governance conference in Washington in May to highlight India’s achievements and encourage international adoption of the Svamitva model.