Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday virtually distributed over 65 lakh property cards under the SVAMITVA scheme, aimed at strengthening economic activities in rural India and helping in poverty alleviation. He also interacted with some beneficiaries during the event.
Addressing the gathering, Modi emphasized the significance of rural land digitisation, calling it a step towards “rural empowerment” by leveraging technology and good governance. He highlighted that the distribution of property cards will aid villagers in accessing loans and availing various government schemes, ultimately improving their financial standing.
The property cards, which were distributed to residents in over 50,000 villages across 10 states — Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh — as well as the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, will benefit millions of villagers. With the new distribution, a total of 2.24 crore beneficiaries in rural India will now possess these legal documents, offering them recognition and security for their properties.
Modi also referenced a United Nations study that identified property rights as a key factor in poverty alleviation globally, noting the importance of providing legal property documentation to empower rural populations. He pointed out that historically, rural India faced significant challenges in securing property rights, resulting in disputes, snatching, and the inability to use land as collateral for loans.
The SVAMITVA scheme is helping resolve these issues by utilizing drones for mapping properties and providing legal documents for residential properties in villages. Modi underscored the benefits of the scheme, which has already helped several villagers obtain loans and start small businesses, especially among farmers who now have financial security through their property rights.
The prime minister also shared that once property cards are issued across all villages, the scheme will unlock economic activities worth more than Rs 100 lakh crore, providing a significant boost to the country’s economy.
Previously, land-related disputes were common, and obtaining official documents required multiple office visits, leading to corruption and delays. However, with digitization, around 98% of land records have been computerized, simplifying access to land maps and enabling more efficient governance. Modi further pointed out that around 23 crore Bhu-Aadhaar numbers have been issued, providing a unique identity to land plots across India.
SVAMITVA, launched in 2020, aims to facilitate rural development through the latest drone technology to survey villages and provide households with a ‘Record of Rights’ for properties in inhabited areas. The scheme also supports the monetization of properties, reduces disputes, improves property tax assessments, and fosters better village-level planning.
In addition to the virtual event, physical distribution ceremonies are being held in over 230 districts, with Union ministers participating in these regional events across the country.
The event was attended by key officials, including Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘Lalan’, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S P Singh Baghel, and Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj. Several state and Union ministers, as well as chief ministers, joined the event virtually to mark this important milestone for rural development in India.
