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The SVAMITVA scheme launched in 2020 is being implemented in 344,868 notified villages out of 662,000 villages in 30 states and union territories
The scheme aims to facilitate monetisation of properties, secure bank loans, and reduce property-related disputes. (Representative/Shutterstock)
The lack of clear ownership of houses and land in villages frequently leads to disputes. Consequently, civil courts across numerous districts face a backlog of land dispute cases. To address this issue, the Narendra Modi government has outlined plans to establish clear land ownership rights for all citizens. The government is undertaking drone surveys to achieve this objective. The initiative aims to distribute property ownership cards to approximately 2.25 crore villagers by 2026.
Vivek Bhardwaj, the Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj stated that the government aims to distribute 2.19 crore ownership property cards by March 2026. This initiative aims to officially recognise properties in rural India and facilitate villagers in using their property as collateral for credit. This figure includes the 58 lakh cards that Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed across 50,000 villages in 12 states and union territories on December 27. To date, the government has distributed 1.37 crore ownership property cards under this scheme.
PM Modi launched the SVAMITVA scheme in April 2020. Its aim is to create records of rights (RoR) in revenue documents for inhabited areas (as opposed to agricultural land) in villages.
“Land ownership is not clear in developing countries. If the right to property ownership is not clear, then no financial institution is ready to lend money to anyone. If they cannot borrow from financial institutions, they cannot do any economic activity. There is no credit link, because the ownership of the property is not clearly defined. Our aim is to link these properties to credit, so that they can get loans easily,” Bhardwaj said.
3.45 lakh villages will be surveyed
“If the ownership rights of your property are not clear and you need to borrow, you cannot mortgage your own property. So we have tried to cover the populated land in rural India under the SVAMITVA scheme,” Vivek Bhardwaj said.
The scheme also aims to demarcate the populated land in rural areas through the latest survey drone and GIS technology. It aims to cover about 3,44,868 villages, out of which 92% (3,17,000) villages have already been surveyed through drones.
Five states did not implement the scheme
Bharadwaj stated that the scheme aims to facilitate the monetisation of properties, secure bank loans, and reduce property-related disputes. He said all 344,868 villages will be covered by March 2026, which is a year behind schedule, as many states are in the process of issuing property cards.
Out of 662,000 villages in 30 states and union territories (UTs), the scheme is being implemented in 344,868 notified villages. West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Meghalaya, and Nagaland have not participated in the scheme, and Tamil Nadu has taken it up only as a pilot project.
