Prime Minister Narendra Modi will present around 65 lakh property cards (land title certificates) to rural landowners on Saturday, with a total worth of at least Rs 135 lakh crore.
Officials claimed the property card will help people acquire bank loans because financial institutions like to mortgage properties as security.
The panchayati raj department created these property cards as part of its Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) Scheme. The project assists village household owners in obtaining a 'Record of Rights' by effectively mapping land parcels using drone technology to provide legal ownership cards.
"People will receive tangible copies of these property cards. Our assessments have showed that this will be a significant benefit to anyone seeking a loan," stated an official.
"Previously, the lack of a proper property card made it difficult for people to apply for bank loans," the official explained.
The system addresses issues such as property monetisation, conflict resolution, and complete village-level planning.
According to department officials, the cards will be distributed to more than 50,000 villages in ten states (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh), as well as two Union Territories (J&K and Ladakh), as part of the union government scheme.
"Everyday more number of property cards are being generated and hence the number is increasing," a source told.
According to Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bhardwaj, the department intends to showcase the scheme's success globally and, in collaboration with the External Affairs Ministry, will host an international workshop on land governance in India in March with 40 representatives from 20 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
He added that the department intends to attend the World Bank Land Governance Conference in Washington in May to highlight India's successes and advocate international adoption of the Svamitva model.
