SVAMITVA update: drone surveys completed in 3.30 lakh villages
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj reports 3.24 crore property cards prepared and about 2.72 crore distributed under the drone-mapping scheme.
At a glance
- Drone surveys completed in 3.30 lakh villages
- 3.24 crore property cards prepared for 1.97 lakh villages; about 2.72 crore distributed
- 11,147 loans worth Rs 1,713 crore disbursed against property cards
- Target: 3.38 lakh villages within the scheme period
- Source: Ministry of Panchayati Raj via PIB, 4 August 2026
NEW DELHI — In a release posted on 4 August 2026, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj gave the current status of the SVAMITVA Scheme. Drone surveys have been completed in 3.30 lakh villages. Property cards have been prepared for 1.97 lakh villages, 3.24 crore cards in all, and about 2.72 crore of them have been distributed to property owners [1].
How the scheme works
The Ministry says rural inhabited land (abadi areas) is demarcated using drone surveys and Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) technology to create high-accuracy maps. The Ministry funds the Survey of India to complete the drone survey and prepare the maps. Ground-truthing, and the preparation and distribution of property cards, are done by the States and Union Territories [1].
Selected state figures
The release includes a state-wise table (Annexure-I). A selection is shown here; the total row covers all States and UTs [1].
| State / UT | Notified villages | Drone survey done | Cards prepared | Cards distributed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat | 14,951 | 14,900 | 18,62,759 | 12,71,464 |
| Haryana | 6,260 | 6,260 | 25,15,646 | 25,15,646 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 43,014 | 43,014 | 68,19,402 | 54,18,319 |
| Maharashtra | 37,819 | 37,729 | 39,70,943 | 39,70,943 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 90,573 | 90,573 | 1,20,31,301 | 1,04,48,949 |
| All India (total) | 3,38,722 | 3,30,854 | 3,24,16,278 | 2,72,29,538 |
Other points in the release
- The Ministry says 11,147 loans worth Rs 1,713 crore have been disbursed on the basis of SVAMITVA property cards, and that it is working with the Department of Financial Services and State revenue departments to widen bank acceptance of the cards [1].
- The target is to cover 3.38 lakh villages within the scheme period [1].
- The Ministry says it is not aware of any major challenges related to property disputes, survey operations or public awareness [1].
What it means for surveyors
SVAMITVA is a large drone-and-CORS mapping programme, and it creates work across the chain: flying and mapping, ground-truthing and record preparation. The state table shows how unevenly the second half, preparing and distributing cards, has progressed, so local demand for ground-truthing and verification still varies a lot by state.
