21-Dec-2021: SVAMITVA Scheme

Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing Central Sector Scheme SVAMITVA with the aim to provide the ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited areas in villages. Legal ownership rights (Property cards/Title deeds) are issued by mapping of land parcels using drone technology. It is being implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India (SoI). States need to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SoI for implementation of the scheme. So far, 29 States, including the State of Rajasthan, have signed MoU with SoI. The Scheme aims to cover all the villages across the country by March 2025. The progress of implementation and completion of mapping of a particular area under the scheme depends upon various factors like the State establishing the legal framework for Property Cards, availability of drone teams, the State providing proper chuna-marked villages, weather conditions etc.

As on 15.12.2021, drone flying has been completed in 1,127 villages and 582 Property Cards in 38 villages have been distributed in Rajasthan. There are 183 villages in Jaisalmer, 850 villages in Dausa and 94 villages in Jaipur district where drone flying has been completed. Property Cards, known as Pattas in Rajasthan, have been distributed in only 38 villages in Jaisalmer district.

As per the Framework of the SVAMITVA scheme, the plan is to cover 13,000 villages in 2021-22 and 33,543 villages in 2022-23 in the State of Rajasthan. The number of villages to be covered over a period of time depends upon various factors like the preparedness of the State, utilization of available drone teams and early ground- verification by the State officials, apart from weather conditions.

One objective of the scheme is to facilitate monetization of properties of the citizens of rural India by enabling them to use their property as a financial asset by taking loans and other financial benefits.  Data for grant of property loan through SVAMITVA Scheme is not maintained by the Ministry.

The adjudicating disputes/objections during the survey and certifications process enshrined in the SVAMITVA scheme aims at reducing the number of land related disputes.  It is upto the State Government to prioritise the coverage of any particular area under the scheme within the ambit of the MoU it has entered into with the SoI.

15-Dec-2021: Digitisation of Land and SVAMITVA Scheme

Department of Land Resources is implementing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), the erstwhile National Land Records Modernization Programme to digitize and modernize land records. The scheme was launched in 2008-09 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. With effect from 1st April, 2016, this scheme was revamped as a Central Sector Scheme with 100% funding by the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing Central Sector Scheme SVAMITVA with the aim to provide the ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited areas in villages. Legal ownership rights (Property cards/Title deeds) are issued by mapping of land parcels using drone technology.

SVAMITVA is being implemented with the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Revenue Department, State Panchayati Raj Department and Survey of India (SoI). States need to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SoI for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme. So far, 29 States/Union Territories, including the State of Uttar Pradesh, have signed MoU with SoI. In Uttar Pradesh, as on 04.12.2021 drone flying scheme has been completed in 42,583 villages and Property Cards have been prepared in 13,501 villages under SVAMITVA.

6-Aug-2021: Implementation of SVAMITVA and e-panchayat programmes

SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide the ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited areas in villages with issuance of legal ownership rights (Property cards/Title deeds). The pilot phase of the Scheme was launched on 24th April 2020 for implementation during 2020-21 in 6 states namely Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Later on, villages of one border district of Punjab and Rajasthan and few villages of Andhra Pradesh were also added in the pilot phase of implementation. During 2021-2025, the Scheme is to be implemented across the country in phased manner and would eventually cover all the villages of the country. States/Union Territories need to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Survey of India (SoI) for implementation of the scheme. In addition to 9 pilot phase States, 17 more States have signed MoU with SoI since national roll out of scheme on 24th April 2021. This is despite the Covid-19 induced lockdowns and travel bans that have been in place since launch of Pilot Phase of the scheme in varied degree across all States/UTs. Drone flying has been completed in 52,970 villages and Property Cards distributed in 7440 villages to property owners.       

The Scheme also envisages the establishment of a network of 567 Continuously Operating Referencing System (CORS) stations across the country for determining accurate locations. Out of this, 210 CORS stations are being established in the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan as part of the Pilot phase.

With the aim to transform functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Ministry is implementing e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under Digital India Programme. This is expected to make them more transparent, accountable and effective organs of local self-governing institutions. Further, eGramSwaraj (egramswaraj.gov.in), a Simplified Work Based Accounting Application for Panchayati Raj has been developed amalgamating functionalities of planning, monitoring, accounting and online payments. The Panchayats have been encouraged to adopt the e-Gram Swaraj-PFMS (Public Finance Management System) interface to make payments to vendors through PFMS and not through cheques.

27-Jul-2021: 26 States/UTs have signed MoU for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme so far

Department of Land Resources is implementing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), the erstwhile National Land Records Modernization Programme to digitize and modernize land records. The scheme was launched in 2008-09 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and revamped as a Central Sector Scheme with effect from 1st April, 2016 with 100% funding by the Government of India.  Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing SVAMITVA scheme with the  aim to provide the ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited rural areas in villages. Legal ownership rights (Property cards/Title deeds)are issued by mapping of land parcels using drone technology. The implementation of the Pilot Phase of SVAMITVA scheme started during 2020-21 in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. During 2021-2025, the Scheme would be implemented across the country in phased manner and would eventually cover all the villages of the country. States/Union Territories need to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Survey of India for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme. So far, 26 States/UTs have signed MoU.

The SVAMITVA scheme is not being implemented in Delhi as there are no rural local bodies in Delhi and villages of Delhi are under the administrative jurisdiction of municipalities.

Land and land records are State Subjects and details of land records are available with the respective States/UTs. As per information reported by the UT of Delhi on Central MIS of the DILRMP as on 19.7.2021, computerization of land records i.e. Record of Rights (RoR) has been completed in 196 (94.69%) villages of Delhi as against a total of 207 villages.

13-Jul-2021: Govt reviews the progress made on implementation of SVAMITVA

Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of Panchayati Raj & Rural Development and Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj reviewed the progress made regarding implementation of SVAMITVA Scheme and e-Panchayat Programmes. Shri Giriraj Singh,  opined that measures may be taken towards strengthening Panchayati Raj Institution through convergence with other Ministries/ Line Departments viz. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare; Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying; Ministry of Rural Development; Ministry of Jal Shakti; Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution etc.

With the upcoming 75th Independence Day Celebrations in 2022 (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav), Minister of Panchayati Raj desired that the Gram Sabha meetings may be institutionalised, chalking out the broad level agendas/ focus areas of discussions in such meetings.

Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil,  MoS for Panchayati Raj brought forth his rich experience with Panchayati Raj institutions and underscored the need for Panchayats to raise their own revenues.

During the review meeting, issues relating to Operation & Maintenance Expenses under Central Finance Commission (CFC), porting of the relevant information concerning interventions of the line Ministries/Department to eGramSwaraj, collaborative efforts for enhancement and enrichment of MoPR’s portals/ dashboards like eGramSwaraj, Local Government Directory (LGD) etc. in terms of appropriate / essential content coverage on a regular basis, seeding of scheme implementation information with LGD codes to facilitate Gram Panchayat-wise aggregation, celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, convergence of MoPR programmes/ initiatives with schemes of various Line Departments such as Health & Family Welfare, Women & Child Development, Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry etc., scope of biometric attendance system at Gram Panchayat Bhavans, role / services of Common Services Centers (CSCs) and Village Level Entrepreneurs were also discussed.

After taking charge of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Singh,  Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj along with Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil,  Minister of State for Panchayati Raj had taken briefings and reviewed various ongoing programmes, activities and initiatives of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 9 July 2021 at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi. During the introductory review meeting, Ministers were apprised on status of implementation of schemes and programmes of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Meeting was attended by all Senior Officers of the Ministry.

The review meeting was attended by Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Shri (Dr.) Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary and other senior officers of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

4-May-2021: Shri Narendra Singh Tomar releases the new framework for implementation of SVAMITVA Scheme

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar released the new framework for implementation of the SVAMITVA Scheme and Coffee Table Book (CTB) to mark the nationwide roll-out of the SVAMITVA Scheme today. The Minister also addressed the States and other stakeholders virtually on this occasion.

The SVAMITVA Framework developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj provides a detailed roadmap and guidelines for the various States in terms of the Scheme objectives, coverage, various components involved, year-wise funding pattern, survey approach and methodology, stakeholders involved and their roles and responsibility, monitoring and evaluation, and deliverables.

Coffee Table Book on SVAMITVA Scheme is an effort to condense the vast efforts of various stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Scheme, learnings and best practices that have emerged during the course, glimpses of various challenges and success stories and provide a way forward.

The Minister was also updated that property cards have been distributed in more than 7400 villages and more than 7,00,000 beneficiaries have been benefited from the Scheme across the country. The scheme will benefit rural residents by providing them with property cards that can be used for taking loans and the creation of accurate land records for rural planning.

Shri Tomar praised the support provided by various stakeholders and society at large despite the pandemic for the successful implementation of the scheme. It has been seen that beneficiaries have also started to reap benefits of the Scheme and many have availed of bank loans and other financial benefits to construct houses or expand businesses.

The event was virtually joined by all States/UTs – Revenue and Panchayati Raj Secretaries, officers from Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Survey of India (SoI), Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Background: SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nationally launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2021 after successful completion of the pilot phase of the Scheme in 9 States. SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide property rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas in India by using Drone survey and CORS Networks which provides mapping accuracy of 5 Cms.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme. In the States, the Revenue Department/Land Records Department will be the Nodal Department and shall carry out the scheme with the support of State Panchayati Raj Departments.

24-Apr-2021: PM launches distribution of e-property cards under SWAMITVA scheme

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the distribution of e-property cards under the SWAMITVA scheme today on National Panchayati Raj Day through video conferencing. 4.09 lakh property owners were given their e-property cards on this occasion, which also marked the rolling out of the SVAMITVA scheme for implementation across the country. Union Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar attended the event. Chief Ministers and Panchayati Raj Ministers of the concerned states were also present.

The Prime Minister said that Panchayati Raj Day is an occasion to rededicate ourselves to the pledge of redevelopment of rural India. This is a day to acknowledge and appreciate the extraordinary work of our Gram Panchayats, he said.

Prime Minister appreciated the role of Panchayats in management of Corona and providing local leadership to stop Corona from entering the villages and spreading awareness. He reiterated the need to keep the pandemic out of rural India. Shri Modi asked the Panchayats to ensure complete implementation of guidelines that are being issued from time to time. He reminded  that this time we have shield of vaccine. We have to ensure that every person in the village is vaccinated and every precaution is taken, he added.

The Prime Minister stressed that it is our responsibility that in these difficult times, no family should go hungry. He informed under Pradhan Mantri  Gareeb Kalyan Yojna every poor person will get free ration in the months of May and June.  The Scheme will benefit 80 crore beneficiaries and centre is spending more than 26,000 crore on this scheme.

The Prime Minister noted the impact of Swamitva Yojna in the 6 states where it was launched within just one year. Under the scheme, the entire village properties are  surveyed  by drone and property card are distributed to the owners. Today 4.09 lakh people were given such e- property cards in more than 5 thousand villages. The Scheme has infused a new confidence in the villages  as property documents remove uncertainty and reduce the chances of property disputes while protecting the poor from exploitation and corruption. This eases credit possibility also. “In a way, this scheme will ensure security of the poor section and planned development of villages and their economy”, said  the Prime Minister. He requested the States to sign MoU with Survey of India and change state laws wherever needed. He asked banks to ensure easy credit by preparing a format of property card that is easily acceptable for loan formalities.

The Prime Minister reiterated that progress and cultural leadership has always been with our villages. For this reason, Centre is keeping villages at the centre of all its policies and initiatives. “Our effort is that villages of modern India should be capable and self-reliant”, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister enumerated the steps for increasing the role of the Panchayats. The Panchayats are getting new rights, they are being connected by fibre-net. Their role in Jal Jeevan Mission to provide drinking water by tap to every household is very critical.  Similarly, the movement to provide pukka village to every poor person or rural employment schemes are being run through Panchayats. The Prime Minister also talked about the growing financial autonomy of the Panchayats. Shri Modi said that the Government of India has allocated an unprecedented 2.25 lakh crore rupees to the Panchayats. This also leads to higher expectation of transparency in accounts. The Prime Minister said that Panchayati Raj Ministry has made arrangements of online payment through ‘e-Gram Swaraj’. Now all payments will be through Public Finance Management System (PFMS). Similarly, online audit will ensure transparency. He said many panchayats have linked themselves with PFMS and asked others to do so quickly.

Mentioning the upcoming entry into 75th year of Independence, the Prime Minister asked the Panchayats to keep the wheel of development moving in the face of challenges.  He asked them to fix goals for their village’s development and fulfil them within given time frame.

About SWAMITVA scheme: SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) was launched by Prime Minister on 24th April 2020 as a Central Sector Scheme to promote a socio-economically empowered and self-reliant rural India. The Scheme has the potential to transform rural India using modern technical tools of mapping and surveying. It paves the way for using the property as a financial asset by villagers for availing loans and other financial benefits. The Scheme will cover around 6.62 Lakh villages of the entire country during 2021-2025.

The pilot phase of the Scheme was implemented during 2020–2021 in the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and select villages of Punjab and Rajasthan.

8-Feb-2021: A provision of Rs.200 crores has been made for a new scheme-SVAMITVA Under Panchayati Raj Ministry

A total of Rs.913.43 crore has been provided to Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in budget 2021-22 which marks 32% increase over the revised estimate of 2020-21. The major part of it of Rs.593 crores is provided under the Scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that aims to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with main focus on convergence with Mission Antyodaya through capacity building of the rural local governments. The infrastructure facilities like Panchayat Bhawans, computer & broadband connectivity, trained manpower etc. and providing quality training to the elected representatives and other functionaries of the PRIs are the principal components of RGSA.

A provision of Rs.200 crores has been made for a new scheme-SVAMITVA to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited rural areas in villages and issuance of property cards to the property owners through survey of village areas with help of drone technology by Survey of India.

The Pilot phase of SVAMITVA had been approved with Budget Outlay of Rs.79.65 crore. During the Pilot Phase, the scheme is being implemented in 9 States viz. Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Till 31st January, 2021 Drone Survey has been completed in about 23,300 villages. Property Cards have been prepared and distributed/under distribution to about 2.30 lakh property holders of about 1,432 villages. Likewise, 210 CORS are being set up in the States of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. These are likely to be completed and operationalized by March 2021. Survey of India has deployed about 130 Drone Teams in the States and these are being slowly augmented with supply of ‘Made in India’ drones by suppliers. It is expected that about 250 Drone Teams will be in place by March 2021. Steps are being taken to deploy about 500 Drone Teams in the States/UTs in 2021-22.

The Ministry has sent a proposal to Department of Expenditure with an outlay of Rs.566.23 crore for extending the scheme to rest of India to cover nearly 5.41 lakh villages. In 2021-22, with budget provision of Rs. 200 crores, 16 States will be covered targeting 2.30 lakh villages.

The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loan; reducing property related disputes; comprehensive village level planning, would be the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar.

The drone requirements for SVAMITVA scheme has boosted the Drone Manufacturing sector in India. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have now developed Survey Grade Drones and supply for 175 units had been given to “Make in India” product companies. Survey of India (SoI), being technology partner for the implementation of the scheme, has been working arduously to achieve Scheme targets.

By 2022, SVAMITVA Scheme would ensure CORS network coverage across the Country. The Continuous Operating Reference System (CORS) network, once established, are usable by any State agency/ Department viz Revenue Department, Gram Panchayat (GP), Public Works Department, Rural Development Department, Agriculture, Drainage & Canal, Education, Electricity, Water, Health etc. for survey works and implementation of schemes using GIS based applications. The CORS overhauls the Jarib / or traditional survey system in the rural abadi area and provides accuracy upto 5 centimetre-level horizontal positioning in real-time. The future update of the records can be easily done with the use of the ROVERs.

Large Scale Mapping of rural abadi area survey under the Scheme generates high resolution and accurate maps of the scale 1:500 that would facilitate creation of the most durable records of property holdings in the rural abadi areas and support in comprehensive village level planning.

Further, this is the first time ever that such a large-scale exercise involving most modern technology is being carried out to benefit millions of rural property owners, covering all villages across the Country.

Drone survey technology is the latest survey methodology which makes mapping activities easier and more efficient. It reduces field time and survey costs to one-tenth and capture of topographic data with a drone is much faster than with land-based methods. Taking into cognizance the usability of this technology, many States like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are surveying areas, in addition to rural abadi area. That is, however, not being covered under SVAMITVA.

Also, the Scheme has uplifted generation of employment for skilled manpower. Due to the huge requirement for GIS manpower, more than 600 GIS Digitizers have been engaged at various Survey of India (SoI) offices and these numbers are increasing regularly based on their requirements. As a result, numerous START-UPs and MSME service companies have started augmenting their GIS manpower bench strength to cater to these requirements.

Towards the roll out of the Scheme (FY 2021-2024), States of Goa, Gujarat, Kerala and Odisha have conveyed approval for the implementation of Scheme in the next Phase. Chhattisgarh and Tripura have already signed a memorandum of understanding with the Survey of India. States of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Tamil Nadu are actively considered to initiate the preparatory activities for the implementation of Scheme in the next phase and discussions are on-going with these States. The Scheme has the potential to transform rural India. Successful implementation of the Scheme has very large impact in upliftment of rural economy.

9-Oct-2020: PM to launch physical distribution of Property Cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme on 11th October

In a historic move set to transform rural India and empower millions of Indians, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the physical distribution of Property Cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme on 11th October, via video conferencing.

The launch will enable around one lakh property holders to download their Property Cards through the SMS link delivered on their mobile phones. This would be followed by physical distribution of the Property Cards by the respective State governments.­­­­ These beneficiaries are from 763 villages across six States including 346 from Uttar Pradesh, 221 from Haryana, 100 from Maharashtra, 44 from Madhya Pradesh, 50 from Uttarakhand and 2 from Karnataka. Beneficiaries from all these states except Maharashtra will receive the physical copies of the Property Cards within one day - Maharashtra has a system of recovering the nominal cost of Property Card, so it will take a month’s time.

The move will pave the way for using property as a financial asset by villagers for taking loans and other financial benefits. Also, this is the first time ever that such a large-scale exercise involving the most modern means of technology is being carried out to benefit millions of rural property owners.

Prime Minister will also be interacting with some of the beneficiaries during the event. Union Minister for Panchayati Raj will be present on the occasion. The programme will commence from 11 AM.

About SVAMITVA

SVAMITVA is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which was launched by the Prime Minister on National Panchayati Raj Day, 24th April 2020.The scheme aims to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in rural areas and issue Property Cards.

The Scheme is being implemented across the country in a phased manner over a period of four years (2020-2024) and would eventually cover around 6.62 lakh villages of the country. About 1 lakh villages in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, and few border villages of Punjab & Rajasthan, along with establishment of Continuous Operating System (CORS) stations’ network across Punjab & Rajasthan, are being covered in the Pilot phase (2020-21).

All these six States have signed MoU with Survey of India for drone survey of rural areas and implementation of the scheme. These States have finalised the digital property card format and the villages to be covered for drone-based survey. States of Punjab and Rajasthan have signed MoU with Survey of India for establishment of CORS network to assist in future drone flying activities.

Different States have different nomenclature for the Property Cards viz. ‘Title deed’ in Haryana, ‘Rural Property Ownership Records (RPOR)’ in Karnataka, ‘Adhikar Abhilekh’ in Madhya Pradesh, ‘Sannad’ in Maharashtra, ‘Svamitva Abhilekh’ in Uttarakhand, ‘Gharauni’ in Uttar Pradesh.

27-Apr-2020: Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar issues guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme

Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that the government has run several programs to digitally empower panchayats across the country. He was speaking in New Delhi on the occasion of issuing guidelines regarding the SVAMITVA scheme, a new initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The Minister said that the aim of this program is to provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes. The Minister said that this scheme will help in streamlining planning and revenue collection in rural areas and ensuring clarity on property rights. This will also help in resolving property related disputes. The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), leveraging the maps created under this programme.

SVAMITVA scheme, a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India, aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest Drone Surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabitant (Aabadi) land in rural areas. The program is currently being implemented in six states - Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Under this, mapping of rural housing land can be done using the latest survey methods and drones. In Punjab and Rajasthan, 101 Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) will be set up during this year which will set the stage for undertaking actual survey and mapping of inhabited areas of villages next year.

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar also released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding e-Gram Swaraj on the occasion. He said that following this procedure, it will be ensured that the funds given to the panchayats are not misused and transparency can be maintained in its use. He said that this process will help in establishing a strong financial system by integrating the Priya Soft and PFMS, the payment portals of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The application aims to bring in better transparency and strengthening of the e-Governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the country through decentralized planning, progress reporting and work-based accounting. It will also assist in enhancing the credibility of Panchayats which would induce greater devolution of funds to PRIs. Furthermore, e-Gram Swaraj provides a platform for effective monitoring by higher authorities. It will be a single platform for all planning and accounting needs of the Panchayats.

The key focus areas of M/o Panchayati Raj over the last few years has been to track the fund flow of the Central Finance Commission grants and also to ensure timely payments on real-time basis to the service providers in the Panchayats. The Online Payment Module (erstwhile PRIASoft-PFMS Interface (PPI)) is one of its kind whereby Gram Panchayats are carrying out online payments to the vendors and service providers. The main objective of introducing such a module is to have a sound financial management system in the Panchayats leading to their greater credibility and image.

These endeavours are also congruent to that of Digital India Programme which is to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy - “Faceless, Paperless, Cashless”.