Bill Introduced in the Winter Session 2025 of UP Assembly
The Uttar Pradesh government has moved a major step towards giving long-term legal stability to residential property records prepared under the Government of India’s SVAMITVA Scheme. During the Winter Session 2025 of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the Uttar Pradesh Rural Population Records Bill, 2025 was introduced to create a statutory framework for the management, updation, protection, and maintenance of rural residential property records prepared through drone-based surveys.
The Bill aims to ensure that the rural property documentation created under SVAMITVA does not remain just a one-time administrative exercise, but becomes a legally enforceable and continuously updated official record system.
What Is the Purpose of the SVAMITVA Scheme?
State Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh explained that the core objective of SVAMITVA is to conduct accurate surveys of rural inhabited areas and provide residents with clear ownership records of their residential property.
The SVAMITVA scheme helps rural residents because it:
- Provides official ownership proof for residential plots
- Enables villagers to access bank loans and financial services
- Reduces disputes related to property boundaries and ownership
- Supports better land record management and governance
- Helps in property taxation planning and revenue strengthening
- Promotes creation of GIS-based maps for rural development planning
Huge Progress in UP Under SVAMITVA: Villages Surveyed and Records Distributed
According to the Minister, SVAMITVA has seen large-scale implementation across Uttar Pradesh.
Key Data Shared
- Around 1,10,344 villages were notified for the scheme
- Drone surveys have been completed in 90,573 villages
- Villages without populated areas were excluded
- As of May 9, 2025, more than 1.06 crore Gharauni records were prepared
- Over 1.01 crore Gharaunis were already distributed to rural residents
This shows that UP has created one of the largest digital rural property datasets in the country.
Why Was a New Bill Needed?
Even after issuing Gharauni records, rural property ownership changes regularly due to:
- Inheritance and succession
- Sale or purchase of property
- Legal transfer
- Family division or settlement
- Other lawful transitions
However, the Minister highlighted that until now, there was no clear legal mechanism for updating Gharauni property records after distribution.
This created a major gap. Without a defined legal process, records could become outdated over time, leading to confusion and disputes.
The Uttar Pradesh Rural Population Records Bill, 2025 is designed to fill this gap by providing a structured and legally enforceable system for record updates.
What Will “Gharauni” Mean Under the New Bill?
The Bill clearly defines what will be included in the rural residential record called Gharauni.
A Gharauni Will Include
- Owner’s name and address
- Plot details
- Total area
- Layout sketch
- Location-related information
- Supporting mapping details
This ensures each record is detailed and useful for both residents and government systems.
Gharauni Register and Population Area Map: Village-Level Record System
The Bill also provides that:
- The collective record of all Gharaunis in a village will be maintained in a Gharauni Register
- A separate population area map will be maintained along with the register
- This creates a complete village-level database of residential property records
This will allow better planning, governance, taxation and dispute resolution at the rural level.
Structured Process for Surveys, Record Maintenance and Updates
One of the key features of the Bill is that it clearly defines:
- How survey operations will be conducted
- How rural population records will be maintained
- How updates will be carried out
- Who will be responsible for record management
- How official notifications will be issued
The Bill also specifies the role of:
- Survey Officers
- Record Officers
- Other responsible authorities involved in creating and updating the rural residential record system
Expected Benefits: Transparency, Reduced Disputes and Stronger Rural Governance
Minister Jaiveer Singh stated that once implemented, the Bill will bring broad improvements in rural governance and property management.
Major Expected Outcomes
✅ Greater transparency in rural residential property records
✅ Reduction in disputes related to ownership and boundaries
✅ Improved property taxation and local revenue systems
✅ Better planning for village-level development
✅ More efficient and systematic rural land governance
The government believes the legislation will have a long-term and far-reaching impact, particularly in strengthening rural governance, land management systems, and the rural economy.
Why This Bill Matters for Rural Families
This Bill is important for ordinary rural households because Gharauni records can become a strong document for:
- Claiming ownership
- Applying for loans
- Taking part in government schemes
- Avoiding property conflicts
- Ensuring heirs and successors receive clear legal recognition
- Enabling future sale or legal transfer smoothly
With a permanent legal system for record updation, rural families will no longer remain dependent on informal mechanisms for property documentation.
