Jan 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over 65 lakh property cards in 10 States and two Union Territories including JAMMU and Kashmir among the people of rural areas in the afternoon of January 18 virtually through a function being held in New Delhi.“A total of 65 lakh property cards will be distributed in 52,455 villages of 237 districts in 10 States and two Union Territories by the Prime Minister at a function at 12.30 PM on January 18 under SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages & Mapping with Improvised Technology in Villages Areas) Scheme,” officials told the Excelsior.
A large number of people in different villages of Jammu and Kashmir will get the property cards.
Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh will attend the function at Kathua and physically distribute property cards among some of the villagers.
The Prime Minister will interact with few beneficiaries through video conferencing, the officials said.
The property cards distribution function was originally scheduled to be held on December 27, 2024 but was deferred due to national mourning following the demise of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. It has now been rescheduled to January 18.
Officials said SVAMITVA is a Central Sector scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj which provides ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners with the issuance of legal ownership cards (property cards/title deeds) by mapping land parcels using drone technology.
“The Scheme helps creation of accurate land records for rural planning and reducing property-related disputes. This will bring financial stability to the citizens in rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits. This will also help in determination of property tax, which would accrue to the GPs directly in States/UTs where it is devolved or else, add to the State exchequer,” the officials said.
The Scheme is also aimed at support in the preparation of a better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) by making use of GIS maps, they said and described it as a reformative step towards the establishment of clear ownership of property in rural inhabited areas.
As per the officials, there are about 6.62 lakh villages in the country which will be eventually covered in this scheme. They said the households belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG) category with an annual income of up to Rs 3, 6 and 9 lakhs respectively are eligible to avail benefits of SVAMITVA Scheme.
The Scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24, 2020, as a Central-sector scheme to promote socio-economic empowerment and a more self-reliant rural India.
The initial phase of the scheme was implemented during 2020-21 in the select villages of some States and has now gradually been expanded to more States and Union Territories.
“The scheme is intended to reduce property disputes by providing accurate land records while boosting financial liquidity. The scheme aims to streamline planning and revenue collection, as well as ensuring that residents are informed of property rights in rural areas,” the officials said.