The sessions on “Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure” and “Securing Land Rights for a Billion People” aimed at fostering a dialogue on inclusive land governance.
By Aditi Agrawal
India, took centre stage at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, held in Washington D.C., reaffirming its global leadership in inclusive land governance and grassroots empowerment. Participating as a Country Champion in the Plenary Session on 6th May 2025, Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, delivered an address during the High-Level Plenary on “Good Practices and Challenges in Land Tenure and Governance Reform”, articulating India’s leadership in land rights, tenure reforms, and technology-driven spatial planning.
Bharadawaj said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s pioneering SVAMITVA Scheme (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) has emerged as a transformational initiative in rural land governance. Bharadwaj shared deep insights into the scheme’s journey – beginning with onboarding states, amending state-specific laws and survey rules, and establishing critical technological infrastructure like Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) to enable accurate drone-based mapping. He explained how India’s federal structure requires strategic cooperation, coordination, and community involvement to drive reforms on a national scale.
In his address, Bharadwaj mentioned the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto’s observation about the untapped economic potential locked in informal land holdings. He emphasised that India has surveyed 68,000 square kilometers of rural land under SVAMITVA, unlocking $1.16 trillion worth of assets, thereby offering millions of rural families legal title, dignity, and access to credit and opportunity. Through anecdotes of individuals like a dairy farmer in Madhya Pradesh who expanded his business, or a mother in Rajasthan who funded her daughter’s overseas education, he highlighted how land ownership is being converted into real empowerment.
Land Rights for a Billion
The special event, titled “Securing Land Rights for a Billion People,” is set to further amplify India’s model of inclusive and technology-driven land governance. Led by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the session will open with welcome and opening remarks by Dr. Klaus W. Deininger, Lead Economist, World Bank, followed by an introduction by Mr. Somik V. Lall, Senior Advisor, DECVP, World Bank. The event will spotlight the design, impact, and scalability of the SVAMITVA Scheme, with presentation by Vivek Bharadwaj.
The side event will be attended by all delegates of the World Bank Land Conference 2025, including advisors and senior advisors to seven Executive Directors representing regions across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Central Asia, South Asia, and South East Asia, offering a valuable opportunity for cross-regional dialogue and exchange. The side event will provide a focused platform to discuss the implementation methodology and transformative benefits of the SVAMITVA Scheme with countries that share similar land administration systems. Bharadwaj said that the objective is to explore avenues for collaboration, enabling the ministry of panchayati raj to support and partner with these nations in adopting and adapting similar models in their respective contexts.
SDG Target 1.4.2
Another area of focus is the Gram Manchitra, India’s advanced GIS-based spatial planning platform. Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, will present how the platform is facilitating spatially informed decision-making at the Panchayat level, showcasing the integration of cutting-edge technology with grassroots governance to foster sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant villages.
India’s interventions across these sessions aim to serve not only as a model for participatory and technology-enabled land governance, but also as a call to action for other nations striving to achieve SDG Target 1.4.2 which aims to ensure legal ownership and control over land for all, especially vulnerable communities.
Through its presence at the World Bank Land Conference 2025, India has been positioned as a global thought leader in land tenure reforms, rural development, and inclusive governance demonstrating that a data-driven, people-centric approach can effectively bridge centuries-old land insecurity and usher in a new era of legal recognition, dignity, and prosperity for rural citizens.
Image: Wikimedia
