Rural Population Records Bill to provide permanent legal framework to SVAMITVA Records in UP

The Uttar Pradesh government has taken a significant step towards giving permanent legal backing to property records prepared under the Government of India’s SVAMITVA Scheme.

During the Winter Session 2025 of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the Uttar Pradesh Rural Population Records Bill, 2025 was introduced to provide a statutory framework for the management, updation and protection of rural residential property records prepared through drone-based surveys.

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State Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said here on Tuesday that the objective of the SVAMITVA Scheme is to carry out accurate surveys of areas with rural population and provide residents with clear ownership records.

These records enable rural households to access bank loans, financial services and other economic benefits using their residential property as proof. The scheme also supports better land record management, property taxation, preparation of GIS-based maps and improved planning for village-level development.

Under SVAMITVA, around 1,10,344 villages in the state were notified, of which drone surveys have been completed in 90,573 villages, excluding villages without populated. As of May 9, 2025, more than 1.06 crore Gharauni records have been prepared, and over 1.01 crore Gharaunis have already been distributed to rural residents.

He explained that once Gharauni records are issued, changes are required over time due to inheritance, succession, sale, or other lawful transfers. Until now, there was no clear legal mechanism for such updates. The new Bill addresses this gap by providing a structured process for maintaining and updating rural population records.

The Bill provides that the record of rural residential areas will be known as the Gharauni, which will include the owner’s name and address, details of the plot, area, layout sketch and location-related information. The collective record of all Gharaunis of a village will be maintained as a Gharauni Register, along with a separate population area map. The Bill clearly defines the process for survey operations, record maintenance, and updates, including the roles of survey officers, record officers and the procedure for issuing official notifications.

According to Minister Jaiveer Singh, once implemented, the Bill will bring greater transparency to rural property records, reduce disputes related to ownership, improve taxation systems, and strengthen systematic and planned development in rural population areas. He said the government believes this legislation will have a long-term and far-reaching impact on rural governance and property management in Uttar Pradesh.