PM distributes over 65 lakh SVAMITVA property cards

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday distributed more than 65 lakh property cards under the SVAMITVA scheme, and said it will bolster economic activities and help in poverty alleviation.

The Prime Minister virtually addressed the event and also interacted with some beneficiaries.

He also said rural land digitisation is “furthering rural empowerment by leveraging the power of technology and good governance”.

The property cards are being distributed to beneficiaries across more than 50,000 villages in 10 states — Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Modi said the scheme would help people get loans and benefits of other government schemes.

“Around 2.24 crore beneficiaries in villages will now have SVAMITVA property cards after 65 lakh cards are distributed today,” the PM said.

“Property rights are a major challenge across the world. Years ago, the United Nations had held a study, which revealed people did not have legal documents for property rights in several countries. The UN has said property rights are important for poverty alleviation,” he said.

Modi said an eminent economist had opined that property in villages is a “dead capital” because people cannot do anything with it, and it can’t help increase their income.

“India was also impacted by this challenge. People in villages have property worth lakhs of crores (of rupees), but they did not have papers for it. There were disputes, properties were snatched, and even banks did not provide loans over it,” he said.

The PM emphasised that no sensitive government could leave its villagers in such distress.

“Previous governments should have taken steps to do something about it, but nothing much was done,” he said.

Modi said Dalits, backward classes and tribals were the worst affected by this.