PM Modi Highlights SVAMITVA Scheme’s Economic Potential

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on January 18 that the distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA scheme across all Indian villages could potentially unlock economic activity worth over ₹100 lakh crore. He made this statement during an event where over 65 lakh property cards were distributed to owners in more than 50,000 villages via video conferencing. The Prime Minister highlighted that 2.25 crore rural households have already received legal ownership documents for their homes through this initiative.

Understanding the SVAMITVA Scheme

What is SVAMITVA?
SVAMITVA, an acronym for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, aims to provide rural homeowners with legal property titles via property cards. The scheme involves using drone-based surveys to create GIS maps of village properties.

Launched on April 24, 2020, during National Panchayati Raj Day, the initiative began property card distribution on October 11, 2020.

Benefits of SVAMITVA Property Cards

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj outlines several benefits:

1. Financial Empowerment: Rural households can leverage their property as collateral to access loans and other financial services. PM Modi noted that many small and medium farmer families have used these cards to secure loans and start businesses.
2. Enhanced Tax Collection: The cards help in property tax determination, providing Gram Panchayats with direct revenue in states where they are authorized to collect such taxes.
3. Improved Land Liquidity: The scheme increases the financial credit availability and liquidity of rural land.
4. Accurate Land Records: It facilitates rural planning, taxation, encroachment prevention, and issuance of construction permits.

Implementation Process

The SVAMITVA scheme involves several stages:

1. State Collaboration: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is signed between the Survey of India (SoI) and state governments.
2. Establishment of CORS Network: A Continuously Operating Reference System (CORS) ensures high-accuracy mapping and geo-referencing.
3. Survey and Mapping: Villages are identified for survey, and drones map the inhabited areas. GIS-based maps (1:500 scale) are then created.
4. Verification and Dispute Resolution: Ground verification follows, with disputes resolved before finalizing maps.
5. Issuance of Property Cards: Title deeds or “Sampatti Patrak” are provided to households digitally or as hard copies.

Progress and Expansion

Initially piloted in 1 lakh villages across 9 states, the scheme aims to cover all 6.62 lakh villages by the end of FY 2023-24.

• Achievements to Date:
  • Drone surveys completed in over 3.17 lakh villages, covering 92% of the target.
  • Full saturation achieved in states/UTs like Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tripura, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Haryana.
  • 67,000 sq. km of rural land surveyed, valued at ₹132 lakh crore.
• Global Outreach Plans:
  • An International Workshop on Land Governance is planned in March 2025, with representatives from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.
  • India will present the scheme at the World Bank Land Governance Conference in May 2025 to promote global adoption of similar models.

Economic Potential

By formalizing rural property ownership and enabling economic activities such as loans, taxation, and infrastructure development, the SVAMITVA scheme has the potential to transform rural economies and contribute significantly to national growth.