Government to purchase 200 drones to speed up land mapping process

25 Sep 2021 CW Team

The central government has decided to purchase 200 drones for terrain mapping in plain and undulating areas as part of the Survey of Villages for Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Area or Svamitva project, and a tender for the same was issued last week. By the end of 2024, the government hopes to have completed the survey and mapping of about 6.62 lakh villages across the country.

The Survey of India plans to purchase professional survey-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones to aid in the provision of an integrated property validation solution for rural India.

A bid document for the procurement of drones for the Project has been released by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

The document also noted that bidders interested in importing drones must strictly adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Ministry of Civil Aviation notification dated March 12.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Svamitva, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of the Panchayati Raj, on National Panchayati Raj Day, April 24, following the successful completion of the scheme's pilot phase in nine states— Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, MP, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh. The government has mapped and completed the survey in 61,077 villages as part of the pilot project.

The scheme was launched to map land parcels using drone technology in order to create accurate land records for rural planning and to reduce property-related disputes. Its goal is to give citizens in rural India financial stability by allowing them to use their property as a financial asset to obtain loans and other financial benefits.

Image Source

Also read: Drone scheme for mapping land in Gujarat does not see implementation

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane, Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..