The 8th Bhumi Samwad conference commenced with an inaugural address by Shri Sonmoni Borah, the Joint Secretary of DoLR, who emphasized the significance of land mapping and digitization in modernized land management. He advocated for a role-based approach over traditional, rule-bound processes, highlighting the importance of flexibility and functionality tailored to specific roles within land management. His vision focused on ensuring that regulations are centered on the citizen’s needs.
Ms. Nidhi Khare, the Secretary of DoLR, further addressed contemporary challenges and opportunities within land management, emphasizing the need to enhance last-mile coverage and implement direct benefit transfers for improved efficiency and transparency. She also highlighted the reduction of bureaucratic footprints through digitization and discussed over 50 actionable points at the conference. The potential of innovations such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning in land registration and records was also emphasized as game-changers in the sector.
Technology and Policy: Key to Resolving Land Disputes
The conference received a special address from the Honourable Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Singh, who attributed India’s leap in the ease of doing business rankings to the critical role of technology. He highlighted the impact of CORS and the SVAMITWA program in mitigating land disputes, which contribute significantly to court cases and affect millions of citizens and vast tracts of land across the country.
Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste, Union Minister of State for Steel & Rural Development, echoed the importance of digitizing land records for the common citizen and introduced a multilingual software application to promote transparency in land reforms.
Connecting SVAMITVA and Vision 2047
The SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) initiative, launched by the Indian government, aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India. Accurate land records from SVAMITVA can be used for planning development projects and infrastructure in rural areas.
Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Honourable MoS, PR, emphasized the critical role of the SVAMITVA scheme in achieving the objectives outlined in Vision 2047. He highlighted how clear land titles from SVAMITVA can boost economic development in rural areas and aid in better infrastructure planning, aligning with the infrastructural development goals under Vision 2047.