Growth of Land Management With Technology in India

Source: This post on Land Management through Technology has been created based on the article “Landscaping growth with tech” published in “Business Standard” on 19^th January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Science & Technology – Developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

News: The article discusses the issues with management of land in India. It also highlights the benefits of utilising tech-based GIS and the steps that have been taken in this regard.

Land is a vital factor of production and plays a pivotal role in economic growth. For India, the world’s most populous country, rising pressure on land necessitates efficient land management practices.

Economists emphasise that geospatial information can contribute 0.5% to annual GDP growth. Growth of Land Management With Technology in India Hence, according to the author, technology can help in this regard.

Concerns in Land Management in India

1. Untapped economic potential of land: Land in India has not been utilised to its full potential.
2. Lack of Accessibility to Geographic Information System (GIS): Until 2021, GIS was based on Google Maps as regulations did not allow the freedom to create maps (under the regressive Map Policy of 2005).
   Note: GIS consists of integrated computer hardware and software that stores, manages, analyzes, edit, output, and visualize geographic data.
3. Lack of Centralised Database: Government entities hold vast expanses of land but there was no centralised database for the same till very recently.
4. Lack of Land Surveys: For instance, the Ministry of Defence, the largest land-owning ministry, only completed its land-survey for the first time since independence.

Steps Taken in Land Management in India

1) Formation of the National Centre of Geo-informatics: Its creation in 2015 has brought about a paradigm shift since GIS started to be seamlessly incorporated into e-governance applications across India.

2) Liberalisation of Geospatial Sector: In a major reform, geospatial guidelines in 2021 deregulated the sector.

3) Use of Drones for Mapping: Drone Rules 2021 sanctioned drone surveys for mapping.

4) Formation of Government Land Information System: Initiated in 2015, it contains details on 95,742 parcels of land measuring 384,000 acres.

Benefits of Utilizing Tech-based GIS?

1. Land Titling: SVAMITVA scheme is utilising drone surveys to provide a record of land rights to people in villages.
2. Connectivity and Logistics: PM Gati Shakti is a GIS-based national masterplan for multimodal connectivity, which will lead to efficiencies in infrastructure and connectivity projects.
3. Applications in Defence: The use of new technologies like LIDAR allows the creation of 3D GIS maps, which are extremely important for remote borders. Technology-based security measures such as laser sensing, thermal imaging, drone surveillance, videoanalytics, and smart lighting can enhance security.

What Should be The Way Forward Regarding Utilizing Technology in Land Management?

1. Using AI: AI-based image analysis technology can provide detailed identification of land-use based on satellite or drone imagery.
2. Role of State Governments: State governments are responsible for managing land resources such as seacoasts, riverbanks, forests. They should make extensive use of technology as well.
3. Rationalise New Acquisitions: Geospatial technology can help intelligently identify available government land before any new acquisitions are made. AI and satellite imagery can be used to correctly assess land category (grasslands, rocky, hilly, agricultural, etc.).
4. Prevention of Encroachments: An AI-based system, which uses satellite imagery and longitudinal image analysis, can help in timely detection of encroachments and unauthorised constructions.

Technology coupled with enabling policies in land management can significantly contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Question for practice:

What are the issues with management of land in India? How can technology solve these issues?