In News: Indian Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj has issued guidelines regarding the Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Area (SVAMITVA) scheme.
The scheme
- It is a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj
- It is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.
- It is currently being implemented in six states – Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.
- Aim: To provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
- It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).
- The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years – from 2020 to 2024.
- Latest drone survey technology shall be used for mapping of rural housing land. Drones will draw a digital map of every property falling within the geographical limits of a village and demarcate the boundaries of every revenue area.
- Property cards for every property in the village will be prepared by states using accurate measurements delivered by drone-mapping. These cards will be given to property owners and will be recognised by the land revenue records department.
- This will also help in resolving property related disputes.
- After getting the property card, easy access to loans from banks on their (beneficiaries’) houses would be ensured.
- The property records for a village will also be maintained at the Panchayat level, allowing for the collection of associated taxes from the owners.
- The money generated from these local taxes will be used to build rural infrastructure and facilities.
- The accurate property records can be used for facilitating tax collection, new building and structure plan, issuing of permits and for thwarting attempts at property grabbing
- Will help in strengthening the Panchayati Raj system for which efforts are underway for the past 6 years.
Benefits:
- The scheme will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights.
- The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), using the maps created under this programme.
- The Gram Panchayats are constitutionally mandated for preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) for economic development and social justice.
- The GPDP is based on a participatory process in convergence with schemes of all related Central Ministries/Line Departments related to 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP)?
- GPDP is conducted from 2nd October to 31st December, every year across the country, under the People’s Plan Campaign (PPC).
- Local bodies across the country are expected to prepare context specific, need based GPDP.
- It brings together both the citizens and their elected representatives in the decentralized planning processes.