Latest news with #WorldBankLandConference2025
The Print
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Print
India's SVAMITVA scheme takes centre stage at World Bank Land Conference in DC
Participating as a Country Champion, Bhardwaj articulated the progress India made in the field of determining land rights with the introduction of the SVAMITVA, or Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas, scheme. Bhardwaj was delivering an address during a plenary session on 'Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure and Governance Reform' on Tuesday. New Delhi, May 7 (PTI) India took centre stage at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 in Washington DC, where Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bhardwaj articulated the country's leadership in land rights, tenure reforms, and technology-driven spatial planning. According to a ministry statement, the secretary shared wit the delegates the scheme's journey, beginning with amending state laws and survey rules, and establishing technological infrastructure like Continuously Operating Reference Stations, or CORS, to enable accurate drone-based mapping. He also explained how India's federal structure requires cooperation, coordination, and community involvement to drive reforms on a national scale. Bhardwaj also mentioned the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto's observation about the untapped economic potential locked in informal land holdings. He said India has surveyed 68,000 square kilometres of rural land under SVAMITVA, unlocking USD 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. Another event scheduled to take place Wednesday in the US capital, titled 'Securing Land Rights for a Billion People,' is set to further amplify India's model of inclusive and technology-driven land governance, the ministry said. The event will be attended by all delegates of the World Bank Land Conference 2025. 'The side 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 ministry said. On Thursday, the focus will be on Gram Manchitra, India's advanced GIS-based spatial planning platform. The World Bank conference, themed 'Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action: Moving from Awareness to Action,' began on May 5 and will conclude on May 8. PTI AO VN VN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hans India
07-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
India's 'SVAMITVA' scheme in focus at World Bank Land Conference in US
New Delhi: India took centre-stage at the prestigious 'World Bank Land Conference 2025' in Washington, DC, reaffirming the country's global leadership in inclusive land governance and grassroots empowerment. 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.
Times of Oman
04-05-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
India set to lead global land reform talks at World Bank headquarters
New Delhi: A high-level Indian delegation is set to present its SVAMITVA Scheme and Gram Manchitra platform at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, taking place from May 5-8 at the World Bank Headquarters in the US capital of Washington DC, the Panchayati Raj Ministry said in a statement Sunday. Led by Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), and comprising of Joint Secretary, MoPR Alok Prem Nagar, Additional Surveyor General, Survey of India Shailesh Kumar Sinha, along with senior officials from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, the delegation will present its flagship SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme at two key sessions during the upcoming international forum on land governance. This year's World Bank Land Conference, themed "Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action: Moving from Awareness to Action", will bring together global leaders, policymakers, experts and development partners to explore strategies for securing land tenure, modernising land administration for sustainable development and climate-responsive governance. Under India's flagship SVAMITVA Scheme that provides legal ownership of rural properties using drones and geospatial technology, property cards to over 24.4 million households across 1.6 lakh villages have been issued, mapping over 100 million property parcels and unlocking an estimated USD 1.162 trillion (approximately 100 crores) in land value. India will play a key role at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, wherein the SVAMITVA Scheme will be spotlighted as a transformative model of rural empowerment through drone mapping, high-accuracy geospatial data, and platforms like Gram Manchitra for climate-aligned planning. With applications in tax administration, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness, SVAMITVA exemplifies inclusive, tech-driven governance. India's leadership in digital land reforms and its commitment to South-South collaboration will be central to the global dialogue on scalable and people-centric land solutions. The conference agenda includes high-level plenary sessions, regional workshops, thematic exchanges, and an innovation expo, all focused on accelerating secure land access, modernising land administration systems, and driving climate-responsive governance. Sessions will highlight best practices, operational strategies, and cutting-edge research on scaling up land tenure reforms, promoting the use of geospatial technologies, and building resilience in the face of climate challenges. Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj Vivek Bharadwaj, will represent India as a Country Champion in the Plenary Session on "Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure and Governance Reform" wherein SVAMITVA Scheme's impact on rural property rights, women's empowerment, and dispute resolution, contributing to global discussions on SDG Target 1.4.2 (Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and type of tenure) will be discussed. Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, will lead a Technical Session on "Establishing the Land Foundation for Climate Action and Disaster Risk Management" wherein India's Gram Manchitra platform, which utilizes SVAMITVA's high-resolution spatial data to support village-level planning, solar energy site selection, disaster mitigation and rural development will be showcased. India's participation in the 2025 World Bank Land Conference marks a significant milestone in global rural land governance. In March 2025, India hosted a six-day International Workshop on Land Governance with delegates from 22 countries, where SVAMITVA drew strong interest for its digital mapping and geospatial approach, with several nations expressing intent to collaborate.
