Mains Syllabus: GS II - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors; e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential;

Why in the News?

It has been 5 years since the launch of SVAMITVA scheme.

What is the SVAMITVA Scheme?

• SVAMITVA - Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas  was launched on April 24, 2020, on National Panchayati Raj Day.
• Nodal Ministry –Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• Implementation – The scheme is implemented by the Survey of India (SoI) with the National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI) as the technology partner
• Aim – To empower rural citizens with property cards, enabling access to credit, dispute resolution, and better planning.
• Features of the scheme
  • It uses drones ,special mapping tools to transform land governance by clearly marking property boundaries.

What are the objectives of the scheme?

• Creation of accurate land records - For rural planning and reduced property related disputes.
• Financial stability - Enabling rural citizens to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.
• Determination of property tax – To facilitate panchayat local bodies to assess property taxes easily.
• Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS maps - To be leveraged by any department for their use.
• Village planning - To support in preparation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps.

What are the components of the scheme?

• Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network - The CORS network support in establishing Ground Control Points, which is an important activity for accurate Geo-referencing, ground truthing and demarcation of Lands.

• Mapping using Drones - Rural inhabited (abadi) area is being mapping by Survey of India using drone Survey.
• It generates high resolution and accurate maps to confer ownership property rights.
• Based on these maps or data, property cards issue to the rural household owners.
• Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) Initiatives - Awareness program to sensitize the local population about the scheme methodology and its benefits.
• Gram Manchitra – It is a spatial planning application for leveraging digital spatial data/maps created under drone survey for creation of spatial analytical tools to support preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).
• Online Monitoring System - Online Monitoring and reporting dashboard is monitored to track the progress of activities.

• Project management - Programme Management Units at the National and State levels for supporting Ministry & State respectively with scheme implementation.

What are the impact areas under the scheme?

• Inclusive Society - Throughout history, scholars and development specialists have linked ‘Access to Property Rights’ with ‘Improvement in socio-economic standards of vulnerable population in villages.
• The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to enable the same.
• Land Governance - Land is an essential resource for any economic activity aimed at creation of material wealth in the world.
• Lack of clearly demarcated Abadi area has led to high number of land conflict cases.
• As per reports, millions of people suffer the impact of land conflicts across India and the world.
• The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to address the root cause for disputes at local level.
• Village governance – The SVAMITVA Scheme is transforming rural governance by providing clear property rights and improving land management.
• Sustainable Habitats - High-resolution digital maps for better Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) leading to improvement across infrastructure like schools, community health centres, rivers, street light, roads etc.
• Economic Growth - The key outcome is to help people monetize their property as collateral.
• Furthermore, it gives a boost to India’s economic growth through streamlining of property tax in States where it is levied leading to increase in investments and ease of doing business`.

Conclusion

• SVAMITVA is more than a government program, it’s a step toward self-reliance, better planning and a stronger rural India.

References

PIB | Building a Self-Reliant India

PIB | SVAMITVA