India's 'SVAMITVA' scheme in focus at World Bank Land Conference in US
Participating as a 'Country Champion' in the plenary session, Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, articulated India's leadership in land rights, tenure reforms, and technology-driven spatial planning, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj said in a statement on Wednesday.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's pioneering 'SVAMITVA' scheme (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) has emerged as a transformational initiative in rural land governance.
Bhardwaj emphasised that India has surveyed 68,000 square kilometres of rural land under 'SVAMITVA', unlocking $1.16 trillion worth of assets, thereby offering millions of rural families legal title, dignity, and access to credit and opportunity.
Through anecdotes of individuals like a dairy farmer in Madhya Pradesh who expanded his business, or a mother in Rajasthan who funded her daughter's overseas education, he highlighted how land ownership is being converted into real empowerment.
Bharadwaj shared deep insights into the scheme's journey -- beginning with onboarding states, amending state laws and survey rules, and establishing critical technological infrastructure like Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) to enable accurate drone-based mapping. He explained how India's federal structure requires strategic cooperation, coordination, and community involvement to drive reforms on a national scale.
The special event, scheduled for Wednesday (US time) and titled 'Securing Land Rights for a Billion People,' was set to further amplify India's model of inclusive and technology-driven land governance.
Led by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the session will open with welcome and opening remarks by Dr Klaus W. Deininger, Lead Economist, World Bank, followed by an introduction by Somik V Lall, Senior Advisor, DECVP, World Bank.
The event will spotlight the design, impact, and scalability of the 'SVAMITVA' scheme, with presentation by Vivek Bharadwaj. An interactive Q&A session will follow, reflecting the growing global interest in India's transformative approach to rural land governance.
The side event will be attended by all delegates of the 'World Bank Land Conference 2025', including advisors and senior advisors to seven executive directors representing regions across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Central Asia, South Asia, and South East Asia, offering a valuable opportunity for cross-regional dialogue and exchange.
The event will provide a focused platform to discuss the implementation methodology and transformative benefits of the SVAMITVA Scheme with countries that share similar land administration systems.
The objective is to explore avenues for collaboration, enabling the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to support and partner with these nations in adopting and adapting similar models in their respective contexts.
On Thursday, the focus will be on 'Gram Manchitra' (India's advanced GIS-based spatial planning platform). Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, will present how the platform is facilitating spatially informed decision-making at the Panchayat level, showcasing the integration of cutting-edge technology with grassroots governance to foster sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant villages.
Through its presence at the 'World Bank Land Conference 2025', India has been positioned as a global thought leader in land tenure reforms, rural development, and inclusive governance demonstrating that a data-driven, people-centric approach can effectively bridge centuries-old land insecurity and usher in a new era of legal recognition, dignity, and prosperity for rural citizens.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Indian Attire To Bhojpuri Chautaal- PM Modi Gets Unique Welcome In Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago
During his historic visit to Ghana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a unique welcome in the country's Parliament, where several lawmakers donned traditional Indian attire in a show of solidarity. A male MP wore a turban and bandhgala suit, while a female MP appeared in a bright red Indian outfit, prompting light-hearted laughter in the chamber. The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, jokingly remarked that the MP seemed eager to visit India. After concluding his two-day Ghana visit, PM Modi reached Trinidad and Tobago, where he was warmly welcomed with cultural performances and cheers from the Indian diaspora.#pmmodighanavisit #indianattire #trinidadandtobago #indiandiaspora #culturaldiplomacy #historicvisit #bilateralrelations #parliamentarywelcome #southsouthcooperation #globalleader #diplomaticexchange #ghanaindia #trinidadindia #narendramodi #foreignpolicy #internationalrelations #toi #toibharat Read More
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
27 minutes ago
- Business Standard
India proposes retaliatory duties against US's auto tariffs at WTO
India on Friday proposed retaliatory duties at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the tariffs imposed by the United States (US) on automobiles and certain auto parts, even as both nations are close to finalising an interim trade agreement. 'The proposed suspension of concessions or other obligations would take the form of an increase in tariffs on selected products originating in the United States. Without prejudice to the effective exercise of its right to suspend substantially equivalent obligations referred to in Article 8.2, AoS, India reserves its right to suspend concessions or other obligations after the expiration of thirty days from the date of this notification,' according to a WTO notification. India further stated that the safeguard measures will impact $2.895 billion worth of Indian-origin auto product exports annually, with duties totalling $723.75 million. Therefore, India plans to suspend trade concessions of equivalent value in response. Last month, India submitted a formal notification to the WTO under the Agreement on Safeguards, informing the multilateral trade body of its intention to suspend concessions under the agreement in response to tariffs imposed by the US on steel, aluminium, and their derivative products. India's position is that the US tariffs—imposed under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962—amount to safeguard measures under WTO rules, entitling India to withdraw equivalent concessions. Currently, all eyes are on the announcement of the interim trade deal between both nations, as the 90-day pause on the US's plan to impose country-specific reciprocal tariffs ends on 9 July. Both sides are aiming to finalise an 'early tranche' or the first part of a broader bilateral trade agreement (BTA), which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in February.
Hans India
41 minutes ago
- Hans India
MSMEs making significant contribution to India's GDP: Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi
Mumbai: Underlining that India is the fourth-largest economy in the world, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday said that the MSMEs contribute 30.1 per cent to the country's GDP, 35.4 per cent to manufacturing and 45.73 per cent to exports, adding that along with the agriculture sector, MSMEs will play a significant role in India becoming the third-largest economy in the world by 2029. Jitan Ram Manjhi said that the MSME sector is playing an important role in providing employment to entrepreneurs who invest less than big industries and in making them entrepreneurs. It is also working to provide training to new entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in rural and urban areas and provide them with loans by providing bank guarantees. 'Through the Udyam portal, new entrepreneurs who are employed by the MSME department, the registration is done. They are being helped in Udyam Assist by providing training, getting bank loans and starting a business. So far, the MSME department has done the process of providing employment to 34 crore unemployed people in the country. Due to this, the department has fulfilled the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide employment to 22 crore unemployed people,' said the minister. According to the minister, small businesses are helped through the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana. They are also given training through the MSME department and are given initial assistance of Rs 15,000 to set up their businesses. Depending on the nature of their work, the standard of work and the quality of their work, assistance ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 4 lakh is provided. He also said that their financial self-reliance is being increased by starting businesses at the local level. 'The Prime Minister's Employment Guarantee Scheme is being implemented in urban and rural areas to provide opportunities for self-reliance to women and youth. Under this, loans are provided after providing training to those registered on the Udyam portal. So far, 80.33 lakh jobs have been provided under the Prime Minister's Employment Guarantee Scheme," the Union Minister said. He also said that 80 per cent of this has been provided in rural areas and 20 per cent in urban areas. The MSME department is constantly striving to empower women and make the youth self-reliant, and trained unemployed youth are guaranteed up to Rs 5 crore under the Credit Guarantee Scheme for large industries. Due to this, a large number of new entrepreneurs are coming forward in this industry, he said. The Minister said that the National SC-ST Hub is run under the Ministry of MSME to empower entrepreneurs from SC, ST communities for entrepreneurship. The goal is to provide procurement policies and market opportunities. They are supported by government schemes, financial aid and loans. Along with this, the government also purchases the goods produced by them when there is no demand in the market. So far, the government has purchased goods worth Rs 3,500 crore, he added. Jitan Ram Manjhi said that the MSME is also cooperating in tool rooms and technology. Such industries are operating in Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. 'In this too, 22,440 unemployed people have been trained so far. The department will train 10 crore unemployed people by 2029 and make them employment-oriented,' he added.
