New Delhi, January 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute over 65 lakh property cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme to property owners in over 50000 villages in more than 230 districts across 10 States and 2 Union territories, according to an official statement.

Key Points
1. Drone technology mapping enables comprehensive rural property documentation
2. Property cards facilitate bank loans and reduce property disputes
3. Scheme covers over 3.17 lakh villages with 92% target completion
4. Enhances economic progress through property rights documentation

According to the release, PM Modi will launch the distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme on 18th January at around 12:30 PM through video conferencing.

SVAMITVA scheme was launched by the Prime Minister with a vision to enhance the economic progress of rural India by providing a 'Record of Rights' to households owning houses in inhabited areas in villages through the latest drone technology for surveying.

The scheme has marked a milestone in India's rural empowerment and governance journey.

The scheme also helps facilitate the monetization of properties and enables institutional credit through bank loans; reducing property-related disputes; facilitating better assessment of properties and property tax in rural areas and enabling comprehensive village-level planning.

Drone survey has been completed in over 3.17 lakh villages, which covers 92% of the targeted villages. So far, nearly 2.25 crore property cards have been prepared for over 1.53 lakh villages.

The scheme has reached full saturation in Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Tripura, Goa, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Drone surveys have been completed in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh and also in several Union Territories.

The scheme was launched on April 24, 2020 (On National Panchayati Raj Day) by Prime Minister Modi, and aimed to provide a "Record of Rights" to property owners in rural Abadi areas using drone and GIS technology.

Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister virtually distributed the first set of Property Cards on October 11, 2020.

Earlier on Thursday, PM Narendra Modi celebrated the 9th anniversary of the Startup India initiative, highlighting its transformative impact on the country's innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. In a social media post, PM Modi expressed pride in the program's achievements and its role in empowering India's youth.

The PM emphasized that the initiative has turned countless innovative ideas into successful startups over the past nine years. From technological advancements to rural innovations, healthcare breakthroughs to clean energy solutions, Indian startups are addressing global challenges while also creating jobs and advancing the vision of self-reliance, or Aatmanirbhar Bharat.