SVAMITVA

Why in news?

The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) will survey all rural properties.

What are the problems?

• Individual farmers are not able to take land on lease, or confidently lease out land.
• Availability of institutional credit is constrained by the absence of proper land records.
• The digitisation of land meant for agricultural purposes has been completed to the extent of almost 90%.
• But, demarcating residential properties remains an issue.

What is the problem with tax collection?

• The digitisation of agricultural land records has contributed to the smooth implementation of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.
• However, the provision of common amenities is impacted by the lack of demarcation of property owned in the villages.
• Panchayats are unable to collect their due share of property tax from residential parcels.
• The Economic Survey 2017-18 said that the house tax collections of panchayats is 20% “relative to potential” (all India), with the southern States doing better in this respect.
• With clear titles and transparent land valuations, these collections could improve.

What is needed?

• A comprehensive digital mapping of rural land categories will help raise rural productivity and incomes in various ways.
• [Rural land categories - Agricultural, residential and commons]

What is SVAMITVA?

• The SVAMITVA seeks to address these problems.
• The plan is to survey all rural properties using drones and prepare GIS-based maps for each village.
• The process begins with the signing of a MoU between the Survey of India (SoI) and the State government concerned.

What is the process?

• The SoI will use technology for topographical mapping, including satellite imageries and drone platforms.
• During this financial year, the scheme will be implemented as a pilot in about one lakh villages across eight States.
• The States are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
• SVAMITVA would cover all 6.60 lakh villages in the country by 2023-24.
• Property cards or “sampatti patrak” will be made available on digital platforms or as hard copies to the village household owners.

What is the significance?

• Digitisation of personal identity and agriculture land, and now residential property in rural areas through SVAMITVA, will facilitate transparent transactions in land parcels.
• Non-farm related activities will benefit from clear title and the removal of land supply constraints.
• According to NITI Aayog’s 2016 report on land leasing, 36% of the tenant farmers are landless and 56% are marginal land owners.
• Clear title records, accompanied by legalisation of land leasing, will improve their access to credit, insurance and support services.
• With digital records, banks can lend freely without much documentation.
• Formal lease markets and digitisation of personal records can lead to improved implementation of schemes like PM-KISAN.
• These can be directed towards the cultivators, instead of absentee landlords.
• The main challenge for SVAMITVA is to ensure Centre-State coordination and smooth working of dispute settlement systems.

Source: Business Line