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