New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) The SVAMITVA scheme has enabled the issuance of nearly three crore property cards in over 1.84 lakh villages to date, reducing land disputes and supporting planned rural development, the government said on Monday.

The 77th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path here saw the participation of around 450 elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Local Bodies as Special Guests, reflecting the government of India’s emphasis on strengthening grassroots democracy and people’s participation.

Among the 30 tableaux that rolled down the Kartavya Path, was also the Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s tableau on the theme “SVAMITVA Scheme: Aatmanirbhar Panchayat se Samriddh evam Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

It highlighted how legal ownership of rural residential properties empowers citizens and strengthens Panchayats.

According to the ministry, citizens are invited to participate in the MyGov public poll for the Republic Day tableaux as an exercise in informed civic engagement.

Meanwhile, in sustained efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions and enhance grassroots governance across rural India, the government has implemented a wide range of initiatives focused on capacity building, training, digital governance, institutional strengthening and community participation.

In 2025, aligned with the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals and the vision of Viksit Bharat, these initiatives reinforced the central role of Panchayats in sustainable rural development, according to Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

For example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme in January, providing 65 lakh rural citizens with legal ownership documents in a single day. The distribution covered more than 50,000 villages across 10 states and 2 Union Territories, bringing the total number of property cards distributed under SVAMITVA to 2.25 crore in January.

Moreover, the ministry undertook an initiative to leverage popular digital platforms for mass awareness on key issues relating to Panchayati Raj. It also launched ‘SabhaSaar’, an AI-powered meeting summariser tool that automatically generates structured minutes from video or audio recordings of Gram Sabhas.

—IANS

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