Urban land records would be updated under the NAKSHA scheme announced in the Union

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today (18-02-2019) flagged off the Central government’s new project “National Geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of Urban Habitations” (NAKSHA) from Raisen, Madhya Pradesh.

A city survey project under the current Digital India Land Records Modernization Program (DILRMP) is called NAKSHA. It is overseen by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) of the Ministry of Rural Development.

Under the new scheme, town and city maps will be prepared. The pilot was launched in 26 states and 152 urban local bodies. The cities selected meet the two criteria — population less than 2 lakhs and area less than 35 square km. The pilot will be completed within a year.

The NAKSHA program is designed to develop a complete and accurate geospatial database of urban land records, ” By integrating cutting-edge GIS technology with aerial and field surveys, the program facilitates property ownership records, promotes urban planning, and enhances the efficiency of land governance. ” Accurate geographic information ensures better decision-making, effective land-use planning, and more efficient real estate transactions.

The idea of this was floated in the Union Budget last year. Urban land records will be digitised through GIS mapping. Property records will be administered, updated and tax administration will be administered by an IT-based system. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her budget speech on July 23, 2024, that these would also make it easier for urban local bodies to improve their finances.

All the funds for the scheme have been provided from the central government. The cost of the pilot project is pegged at Rs 194 crore. Comprehensive digital urban land records - fewer land disputes - quicker and better urban planning - better property tax collection - easier property transactions - easier access to credit

The survey will be done through aerial photography. Two kinds of cameras—simple cameras and oblique angle cameras (which have five cameras) with LiDAR sensors—will be used. These cameras will be fixed on drones. The ground resolution of these cameras will be 5 cm, which is far better than any satellite, an official said. The European Space Agency’s satellites have a resolution of 30 cm, while ISRO’s satellites have 50 cm.