The Punjab Government to carry out drone based large scale mapping of Abadi in rural areas of Punjab. The MoU in this regard was signed today here by the Rural Development and Panchayts department, Punjab with Survey of India in the presence of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.Rural Development and Panchayayts Minister Mr. Bajwa briefing about this new initiative said that this was a long lasting demand of the rural people to prepare a detailed inventory of all kinds of properties within the ‘Laal Lakeer’ of villages. He said that this survey will pave the way to give ownership rights of properties falling in Lal Dora of villages.The Minister said that this program will provide rural people with the right to document their residential properties so that they can use their property for economic purposes such as applying for loans. This will also help in resolving property related disputes. The scheme will enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), leveraging the maps created under this programme thereby paving way for “Gram Swarajya”. Once the inventory is completed, documents of ownership will be prepared and on the basis of these documents owners can take loans and other benefits.He further said that this information shall also be very helpful in planning development works of the villages as well as for having data regarding houses profile.Mrs. Seema Jain Financial Commissioner Rural Development, Punjab said that this scheme SVAMITVA (Survey of villages and mapping with improvised technology in village areas) is a highly ambitious scheme which is being implemented in Punjab in collaboration with SoI and Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of India. SVAMITVA aims to provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India, engaging the latest Drone Surveying technology, for demarcating the inhabitant (Abadi) land in rural areas.The state of Punjab will witness establishment of 16 CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) which will set the stage for undertaking actual survey and mapping of inhabited areas of villages next year.The MoU on behalf of Survey of India was signed by Mr. Prashant Kumar Director Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh GDC and on behalf of Punjab Government it was signed by Mrs Seema Jain (Financial Commissioner, Department of Rural Development and Panchayats) in the presence of Mr. Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats. Others prominent present on the occasion included Vipul Ujwal, Director Rural Development and Panchayats, Avtar Singh Bhullar Joint Director, Rural Development and Panchayats.