The Framework of SVAMITVA Yojana

Owning a property isn't always everything, but having the property that anyone can use as an asset in an emergency is more critical. The government of India tried to make it for the upliftment of the people from the financially weaker section.

SVAMITVA survey or Yojana, also known as Survey of Village Abadi and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Area, is a property survey program launched by PM Narendra Modi last year, 62020, to promote socio-economic empowerment and to make rural India self-reliant. It is the first scheme launched using a higher technology like a drone. Around 6.6 lakh villages took advantage of the scheme and registered their property. The scheme aims to decrease property-related issues by providing land records, and besides that scheme ensures the collection of revenue and gives all the information about property rights in a rural area.

Mainly, the scheme has been launched so that anyone can use their house or property as an asset for economic purposes if they have the correct documents, and the SVAMITVA yojana provides the proper documents. The survey for the scheme shall be done in a phased manner over five years from 2020-2025.

As the outcome of the scheme, the government provides SVAMITVA property cards to all landowners. Currently, the plan is available only in six states: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

4 Objectives of the Scheme

1: Main objective of SVAMITVA Yojana are

1. To bring financial stability to the life of the people from economically weaker sections and rural India by enabling them to use their property as an asset or other economic benefits.
2. The government intends to arrange and maintain accurate land records for rural planning.
3. The scheme makes determining property tax easy, which accrues to the State's GPs and is added to the state exchequer.
4. The government department needs proper infrastructure and GIS maps for the survey purpose.
5. GIS maps also improve and support the gram panchayat development plan.
6. There are still legal and property-related issues pending in rural areas, and the SVAMITVA scheme helps to decrease these issues.

2: Need of the Scheme

The government is developing India's rural population, and the SVAMITVA yojana is an initial step towards it.

• Once the pilot phase has been successful, over six lacks, rural people will benefit from this scheme.
• The government provides the 'record of rights or property cards through the scheme.
• The scheme facilitates rural property as an asset and other financial benefits.

3: Scope of the Scheme

All the villages or rural areas in India will be covered under this scheme, which is said to be spread over five years from April 2020 to March 2025.

The government implemented the first or pilot phase in FY 2020-2021 and covered states, namely, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

The Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network was established in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

4: Coverage

There are about 6.62 lakh villages covered under the scheme in the pilot phase, and the all-over work is spread around five years. Currently, the pilot phase is approved by the government for the year 2020-2021. The pilot phase is extended to six states and covers approx. 1 lakh villages. When signing the MOU with the survey of India, the respective states will issue the list of villages.

11 Important Factors of PM SVAMITVA Yojana

1: Activities Under The Scheme

1. Establishment of CORS:- CORS is a network of reference stations that provides the virtual base station to gain accurate centimetre-level horizontal positioning in real-time and allows access to a high-accuracy network.
2. Large-Scale Mapping Using Modern Technology: Rural areas are mapped through the drone survey. As the drone survey generates high-resolution and accurate maps to issue ownership rights. Property cards are given to the property owners based on the collected data or maps.
3. Awareness programs to sensitise the rural public about the survey method and its benefits.
4. Program management setting unit at the state and national level.
5. Documentation of practices and conducting the regional or national workshop.

2: Benefits of the scheme

• Official documents of the property the government provides to the people in rural areas as they can use it for financial benefits.
• The government or authorities clearly understand property distribution through surveys and regular inspections.
• The scheme provides clarity to the people in rural areas about their property rights.
• Once the property card is issued, there will be no illegal attempt to trespass or grab anyone's property as strict rules are applied.
• SVAMITVA property card can also be used as a temporary identity card for the landowner.

3: Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Funding and monitoring the scheme at the centre level is the role of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The fund shall be provided for the following work:

• For the establishment of the CORS network for the survey of India.
• For large-scale mapping by using drones to survey India.
• For state project management and other activities of the state revenue department.
• For the spatial analytical tool to NIC (Panchayat Informatic Centre) for consumption of data or maps created under drone survey the creation of the spatial analytical tool.
• NIC to develop and host the application to report and monitor the scheme's progress.

4: Survey of India

The processing of images shall be implemented and executed by the survey of India on its premises and under supervision. Also, the modernisation of the workspace for computers or data centres must be looked after by the survey of India.

• Survey of India (SOI) will be responsible for all the bids or award works, supervision, quality check and execution of the work as per the government's contract and needs and any other outsourcing activities governed by the SOI.
• All the survey planning and execution, monitoring of the project done by the survey of India and other activities must be adhered to by the norms of government contracts.
• The SOI will do all the permissions and clearance for drone flying, data collection, and classification.
• Establishment of continuously operating reference stations (CORS) and their operations and maintenance for five years.
• All CORS shall be connected with high-precision levelling based on the SOI benchmark.
• Acquisition of aerial images using modern high technology like drones for large-scale mapping in rural areas.
• SOI shall post-process images in GIS (geographic information system lab) at SOI regional centre.SOI can use their hardware, software etc.
• State attribute entries must be linked with features and create a digital spatial library of the respective features and information. SOI carried out the data entry.
• Numbering properties within rural structural areas as per the numbering system provided by state governments.
• Handing final deliverables from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj duly vetted by MoD.

5: State Revenue Department

The state needs to amend the land revenue code or other administrative documents to grant the property card validation and authority.

• The state revenue department needs to check the extent of activities and look after amendments in the state revenue act to undertake drone or physical survey activities.
• Two officers from the state revenue department, gram panchayat and one man from the police department with each drone team.
• Marking property boundaries of chunna lines with owner and gram panchayat before drone flying.
• Responsible for checking the accuracy of data and attributes provided by states as supplied by SOI.
• Finalisation of Revenue maps.
• Reverifying property ownership and resolving post-survey objections from the owners. The district magistrate or collector shall deal with these related to owner name, property boundaries, etc., and unresolved objections.
• Issuing property cards.

6: State Panchayati Raj Department

• Organising gram sabha schedule before the survey and post-survey validation of maps.
• Provide support and guidance to the villagers about project work and explain about benefits of RGSA funds.
• Preparing and updating property tax registration.

7: Gram Panchayat

• Generate awareness among the villagers about the survey.
• Digitise property tax registers and make them available to Survey of India and enquiry officers for preparing maps or records.
• Coordination and arrangements for ground-level activities for the survey.
• Help in resolving post-survey objections received from property owners.

8: Property Owner

• Cooperate with other authorities during the process of measurement and survey.
• Producing necessary documents for the survey.

9: National Informatic Centres (NIC-GIS)

• Development and maintenance of a centrally hosted monitoring dashboard of the scheme.
• Host and store DEM and GIS database created under SVAMITVA yojana.

10: State Department of Land Records

To use the data centre infrastructure available at the state, centre or tehsil level must be funded under the Digital India land records modernisation programme scheme of the Department of land records.

11: Joint Responsibility of State and Survey of India

• An MoU would be signed between the state government and the Survey of India for the execution of the scheme. If the states provide MoU with surveys of India and with similar obligations, then there is no need to sign the new MoU.
• Ground control points have to be completed by both authorities.
• Reconciliation of data with available records and finalising the land dimensions.

Conclusion

SVAMITVA means ownership in Sanskrit, and by taking the meaning seriously, the central government decided to give ownership rights and benefits to the landowners. The scheme is introduced in the year 2020, especially for people from rural areas or economically backward classes, and the primary purpose is to provide financial benefits to the villagers.

For instance, once the property is registered, the owner can take a loan against the property and avail of any other benefits or schemes.

The scheme also boosts the drone-producing ecosystem, and approx. 566.23 crore has been approved for the scheme, and this scheme is the perfect example of "Atma Nirbhar Bharat".