Swamitva Scheme

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.