

Mint Explainer | Why the Centre is aerially surveying land and habitations in urban areas
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Even as India’s rural land-mapping has progressed substantially, most urban areas lack reliable, up-to-date maps and clear ownership data. This gap leads to land disputes, inefficient property transactions, poor municipal tax collection and delays in infrastructure planning.
With over 600 million people expected to live in Indian cities by 2031, the central government implemented the NAKSHA (National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations) programme to modernize and digitize India’s urban land records, which remain outdated, incomplete and often inaccurate. Once the pilot-phase survey of 157 urban local bodies, which started in February, is completed, the next phase will cover 1,000 cities, with all urban local bodies set to be surveyed within the next five years, Manoj Joshi, secretary in the Department of Land Resources, said on Wednesday. Mint explains the central government’s rationale behind implementing Naksha.
The Naksha programme leverages advanced technologies such as drone surveys, Global Navigation Satellite System mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to build precise digital land records. Using cutting-edge aerial and field survey techniques, Naksha is building a comprehensive, GIS-integrated database of urban land plots. It aims to create and update urban land records to ensure accurate and reliable documentation of land ownership.
Under this initiative, citizens will receive a government-backed UrPro (Urban Property Ownership Record) Card, a digital proof of ownership that simplifies property transactions. With Naksha, people no longer need to rely on piles of paper or intermediaries to validate ownership. The central government aims
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