India set to lead World Bank’s global land reform talks in Washington

New Delhi: A high-level Indian delegation is set to present its transformative SVAMITVA Scheme and Gram Manchitra platform at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, taking place from May 5 to 8 at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.

Led by Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj, and comprising of Joint Secretary, MoPR, Alok Prem Nagar, Additional Surveyor General, Survey of India Shailesh Kumar Sinha, the delegation will present its flagship SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme at two key sessions during the upcoming international forum on land governance.

This year’s World Bank Land Conference, themed “Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action: Moving from Awareness to Action”, will bring together global leaders, policymakers, experts and development partners to explore strategies for securing land tenure, modernising land administration for sustainable development and climate-responsive governance, the statement said.

Under India’s flagship SVAMITVA Scheme that provides legal ownership of rural properties using drones and geospatial technology, property cards to over 24.4 million households across 1.6 lakh villages have been issued, mapping over 100 million property parcels and unlocking an estimated $1.162 trillion (approx Rs 100 crore) in land value.

India will play a key role at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, wherein the SVAMITVA Scheme will be spotlighted as a transformative model of rural empowerment through drone mapping, high-accuracy geospatial data, and platforms like Gram Manchitra for climate-aligned planning. With applications in tax administration, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness, SVAMITVA exemplifies inclusive, tech-driven governance. India’s leadership in digital land reforms and its commitment to South-South collaboration will be central to the global dialogue on scalable and people-centric land solutions.

The conference agenda includes high-level plenary sessions, regional workshops, thematic exchanges, and an innovation expo, all focused on accelerating secure land access, modernising land administration systems, and driving climate-responsive governance. Sessions will highlight best practices, operational strategies, and cutting-edge research to scale up reforms in land tenure, promote the use of geospatial technologies, and build resilience in the face of climate challenges.

The Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, will represent India as a Country Champion in the Plenary Session on “Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure and Governance Reform”, wherein the SVAMITVA Scheme’s impact on rural property rights, women’s empowerment, and dispute resolution, will be shared, contributing to global discussions on SDG Target.

Joint Secretary Nagar will lead a Technical Session on “Establishing the Land Foundation for Climate Action and Disaster Risk Management”, wherein India’s Gram Manchitra platform, which utilises SVAMITVA’s high-resolution spatial data to support village-level planning, solar energy site selection, disaster mitigation and rural development will be showcased.

IANS