SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) is a new Central Sector Scheme of the Union Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of India. Launched on 24 April 2021, on the National Panchayati Raj Day, this scheme aims to provide a much-needed solution for property validation in rural India, primarily by restricting residential areas in rural areas using Advanced Drone Technology. 

This article will discuss various aspects of the SVAMITVA scheme, including its objectives, coverage, benefits, challenges, and need in detail. 

The SVAMITVA scheme is an important topic for the UPSC IAS Exam preparation. SVAMITVA Scheme-based questions are expected in General Studies Paper-2 of the UPSC Mains Exam.

Download the UPSC Practice Questions on SVAMITVA Scheme for Prelims & Mains!

SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas Scheme. It is a central sector scheme that was launched in 2020. It provides an integrated property validation solution for rural India. It is a collaboration between the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Survey of India.

• The scheme aims to empower rural communities. It provides them with digital ownership records of their properties. 
• The SVAMITVA Scheme is being implemented in a phased manner. It is expected to cover all villages in the country by 2024.
• The scheme uses drone technology to map rural villages and to create digital property records.
• The scheme is being implemented through a public-private partnership model.

Read about the Ujala Scheme here!

Need for SVAMITVA Scheme

Improper maintenance and sometimes an altogether absence of land records in the rural areas in India demand an immediate need for the SVAMITVA scheme. Some other needs are listed below:

• The survey of rural settlements in India was done many decades ago.
• Inhabited rural areas and villages were not surveyed in many states, and thus, no land records are available in those areas.
• In the absence of legal property documents, the owners are unable to monetize their own property as a financial asset.

Thus, in order to provide the legal rights of property to the owner in a speedy and cost-effective manner, the SVAMITVA scheme is very much needed.

Also, read about the Atal Bhujal Yojana for the UPSC Exam here!

Goal of SVAMITVA Scheme

The SVAMITVA Scheme aims to improve life in rural villages in many important ways:

• Many people living in villages don’t have legal papers for the homes they live in. This scheme gives them official documents (called Property Cards) to prove that they own their houses. This clears up any confusion about who owns what.
• When there are no clear records, people often fight over land and houses. By providing legal documents and clearly marking land boundaries, the scheme helps reduce these arguments and avoids long court cases.
• Once villagers have property papers, they can use them to get bank loans. They can use this money to start small businesses, fix or build houses, or pay for education. This helps improve their financial situation.
• With accurate maps and records, village leaders (Panchayats) can plan better. They can decide where to build roads, schools, clinics, and other important things. A special online tool called Gram Manchitra helps them with this.
• In some states, village panchayats collect property tax. With clear records from SVAMITVA, it becomes easier to collect the right amount. This gives panchayats more money to spend on village development.
• The scheme sets up a network of high-tech tools like CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) to help make very accurate maps. These tools can also be used by other government departments.
• The scheme makes sure that women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other vulnerable groups also get their property rights. This helps them gain respect and improves their economic and social status.

Read the article to learn about the Centre's Assistance to States for Land Reforms!

Scope of the SVAMITVA Scheme

The scheme is intended to encompass all villages in the country over a five-year period, starting from April 2020 and concluding in March 2025. In the initial phase of the scheme, which was executed during the fiscal year 2020-21, it was rolled out in several states, including Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, during this phase, the CORS network infrastructure was established in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

Also, read about paramparagat krishi vikas yojana for the UPSC Exam here!

Implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme

The SVAMITVA scheme's implementation can be categorized into three stages:

• Pre-Survey
• Survey Activities
• Post Survey Activities

Read about the Kisan Vikas Patra Scheme here!

Benefits of the SVAMITVA Scheme

The SVAMITVA scheme has several benefits, some of which are listed below:

• Delivering legal property rights through government sources will enable the property owner to access institutional financing by using their property as collateral.
• The maintenance of property documents at the local level will allow the collection of tax and improve the financial status of the Panchayati Raj Institutions. 
• The disputes regarding the properties will be resolved, reducing the workload of an already overburdened judicial system and promoting social harmony in rural areas.
• With the provision of legal property rights and SVAMITVA cards, the property's market value will also increase.
• Proper land and property records will enable better planning at the local level and also will improve disaster management practices. 
• The SVAMITVA scheme will also encourage better Prime Minister Aawas Yojana (Gramin) implementation.

Read about the MUDRA Yojana here!

Challenges in Implementing the SVAMITVA Scheme

The visionary SVAMITVA scheme also faces some tough challenges in its implementation; they are:

• Unclear Legal Validity of the SVAMITVA Cards
• No specific provision is provided to ensure the legal validity of the property cards.
• Variations in laws governing the land record-keeping practice across different states.
• Proper inclusion of the marginalized communities, including- Sharecroppers, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women, etc.
• The Gram Panchayat in Southeast states must be legally empowered to collect the property tax.
• Proper Grievance Redressal Mechanism.
• Properly complying with the guidelines of the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Also, read the article on PM Kisan Sampada Yojana here!

Way Forward 

The SVAMITVA scheme targets to complete the land record survey exercise by March 2025. The following points can be kept in mind while going forward with implementing the SVAMITVA Scheme:

• The relevant authority shall guarantee that the property cards are legal proof of land ownership recognized by Financial Institutions.
• The state government could also constitute expert committees to ensure that the relevant state laws are amended so that the objectives of the SVAMITVA Scheme can be achieved.
• Gram panchayats in all the states must be empowered to collect the property tax by amending the related laws.
• Utmost care shall be taken while demarcating the Abadi areas for the first time so that the marginalized and vulnerable groups are not left out.
• It is also recommended to involve local communities in the mapping and documentation exercise to make it more inclusive and dispute-free.

Also, read about PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana for the UPSC Exam here!

Conclusion

After its successful completion, the SVAMITVA scheme will be a cornerstone in many ways. It will support village-level planning, monetize the assets of rural people, minimize property-related disputes, and will also potentially improve the financial condition of the Panchayati Raj Institutions using tax collection. Every village in the country will eventually be covered under the scheme, which is a step in the right direction towards taking the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign to rural India and establishing Gram Swaraj in the true sense. Timely implementation and effectively dealing with the challenges en-route the implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme is the need of the hour.

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