Recently, the Expert Committee on the SVAMITVA Scheme unveiled a comprehensive report at the National Conference on SVAMITVA Scheme and Rural Planning in Madhya Pradesh. The report outlines guiding principles that states can implement to achieve the objectives of the SVAMITVA Scheme in its entirety.
The Assembly of the Expert Committee
The Expert Committee, brought together in 2022, is composed of subject matter experts from various fields. These include Land Governance, Banking, Survey of India, National Informatics Centre (NIC) Geographic information system (GIS), State Revenue and Panchayati Raj Departments, Industry, and leading Planning and Architecture Institutes.
Key Recommendations Presented in the Report
The report put forward several recommendations designed to enhance the effectiveness of the SVAMITVA Scheme. The suggestions include:
1. Implementing systems that encourage transparency in the scheme’s execution.
2. Encouraging the adoption of records of rights for securing bank loans.
3. Establishing connections between different departments for well-informed decisions about property tax assessment and collection.
4. Encouraging wider adoption of SVAMITVA data-sets by government and private agencies aligned with the new geospatial guidelines.
5. Implementing RADPFI (Rural Area Development Plan Formulation and Implementation) Guidelines and SVAMTIVA data for precise village level-planning.
6. Augmenting capacity at State, District, and Block levels for GIS skill sets among others.
An Overview of the SVAMITVA Scheme
The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas(SVAMITVA) is a central sector scheme initiated nationwide on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2021. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) supervises the scheme, with the Survey of India acting as the Technology Implementation Agency.
The scheme is designed to provide an integral property validation solution for rural India. It aims to furnish ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in rural areas and issue Property Cards. The scheme proposes demarcating rural areas using Drone Surveying Technology.
Key Features of the SVAMITVA Scheme
The SVAMITVA Scheme works based on CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) Networks, providing mapping accuracy within 5 cm. This will be used to demarcate rural inhabited areas, thereby providing a ‘record of rights’ to village household owners dwelling in rural village areas.
The ambitious scheme aims to cover approximately 6.62 Lakh villages across the country from 2021 to 2025.
Nomenclature of Property Cards Across States
The Property Cards issued under the SVAMITVA Scheme bear different names in different states. They are known as ‘Title deed’ in Haryana, ‘Rural Property Ownership Records (RPOR)’ in Karnataka, ‘Adhikar Abhilekh’ in Madhya Pradesh, ‘Sannad’ in Maharashtra, ‘Svamitva Abhilekh’ in Uttarakhand, and ‘Gharauni’ in Uttar Pradesh.
