DRONE-BASED LAND SURVEYS AND DIGITISATION OF PROPERTY RECORDS

Key Highlights:

• The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide Record of Rights to property owners in rural inhabited areas.
• It utilizes drone survey and Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) technology for accurate land demarcation.
• As of date, drone surveys have been completed in 3.30 lakh villages.
• Over 3.24 crore Property Cards have been prepared for 1.97 lakh villages.
• An impact evaluation by IIM Ahmedabad found increased bank loan uptake and Gram Panchayat revenue after the scheme's implementation.

Detailed Insights:

• The scheme's core objective is to reduce property-related disputes by clearly demarcating property boundaries in rural 'abadi' areas.
• It involves creating high-accuracy maps, followed by ground verification and resolution of objections by competent State authorities.
• This process ensures transparency and fair demarcation before the issuance of Property Cards.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj commissioned the impact study to assess the scheme's financial and administrative benefits.
• The Ministry, however, does not maintain specific data on the number of land disputes resolved before and after the scheme's implementation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• SVAMITVA Scheme: A Central Sector Scheme by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for property validation in rural inhabited areas using drone technology.
• Record of Rights: Official documents that establish ownership and other rights over a piece of land.
• Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS): A network of GPS reference stations providing high-accuracy positioning data for surveying and mapping.