A high-level Indian delegation is set to present its transformative Swamitva scheme and Gram Platform at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 to be held from May 5 to 8 at the World Bank headquarters in Washington.
The delegation, led by Vivek Bhardwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and including Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, MoPR, Shailesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Surveyor General, Survey of India, will present its flagship Swamitva (Survey and Mapping of Villages with Improvised Technology in Rural Areas) scheme in two key sessions during the upcoming International Forum on Land Administration.
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This year’s World Bank Land Conference, themed “Securing Land Ownership and Access for Climate Action: Moving from Awareness to Action”, will bring together global leaders, policymakers, experts and development partners to explore strategies to secure land ownership, modernise land administration for sustainable development and climate-responsive governance, the statement said.
Under India’s flagship Swamitva scheme, which provides legal ownership of rural properties using drones and geospatial technology, over 24.4 million households in 1.6 lakh villages have been issued property cards, mapping over 100 million property parcels and unlocking an estimated $1.162 trillion (roughly Rs. 100 crores) of land value.
India will play a key role at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, with the Swamitva scheme being spotlighted as a transformative model of rural empowerment through drone mapping, high-accuracy geospatial data and platforms such as the Gram Manch for climate-aligned planning. With applications in tax administration, infrastructure and disaster preparedness, Swamitva exemplifies inclusive, tech-driven governance. India’s leadership in digital land reforms and its commitment to South-South cooperation will be central to the global dialogue on scalable and people-centred land solutions.
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The conference agenda includes high-level plenary sessions, regional workshops, thematic exchanges and an innovation expo, all focused on accelerating access to secure land, modernizing land administration systems and advancing climate-responsive governance. The sessions will highlight best practices, operational strategies and cutting-edge research to enhance land ownership reform, promote the use of geospatial technologies and build resilience to meet climate challenges.
The Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj will represent India as the country champion in the plenary session on “Good Practices and Challenges in Land Ownership and Governance Reform”, sharing the impact of the ownership scheme on rural property rights, women empowerment and dispute resolution, thereby contributing to the global discussion on the SDG targets.
Joint Secretary Nagar will lead a technical session on “Establishing Land Foundation for Climate Action and Disaster Risk Management” in which India’s Gram Platform, which uses proprietary high-resolution spatial data to support village-level planning, solar power site selection, disaster mitigation, and rural development, will be showcased.
