PM Modi to launch physical distribution of property cards on October 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the physical distribution of property cards under the 'SVAMITVA' (ownership) scheme on October 11 via videoconferencing, his office said on Friday, describing it as "a historic move set to transform rural India".

The move will pave the way for villagers to use property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the launch will enable around one lakh property holders to download their property cards through an SMS link sent on their mobile phones, and this would be followed by the physical distribution of property cards by the respective state governments.

These beneficiaries are from 763 villages across six states, including 346 from Uttar Pradesh, 221 from Haryana, 100 from Maharashtra, 44 from Madhya Pradesh, 50 from Uttarakhand and two from Karnataka.

The beneficiaries from all these states except Maharashtra will receive the physical copies of their property cards within a day, the statement said.

Maharashtra has a system of recovering a nominal cost of property cards so it will take a month's time.

This is the first time that such a large-scale exercise involving the most modern means of technology is being carried out to benefit millions of rural property owners, the PMO said in a statement.

The prime minister will also be interacting with some of the beneficiaries during the event.

'SVAMITVA' is a Ministry of Panchayati Raj scheme which was launched by Modi on the National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24.

The scheme aims to provide the 'record of rights' to village household owners in rural areas and issue property cards.

It is being implemented across the country in a phased manner over a period of four years (2020-2024) and would eventually cover around 6.62 lakh villages, the statement said.