NAKSHA

Sub: Schemes

Sec: Rural dev

Context:

The NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations (NAKSHA) is a new initiative launched on February 18, 2025, by Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh.
It aims to create accurate urban land records through advanced geospatial technology under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).

Key Features of NAKSHA:

It is a central sector scheme, being implemented by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR) under the Ministry of Rural Development.
The primary objective of this initiative is to create accurate geospatial maps of towns and cities, enabling better land governance, urban planning, and smooth property transactions.
The program has been launched on a pilot basis across 152 urban local bodies in 26 states.
The towns selected for the pilot survey must meet two criteria:
- Their area must be less than 35 square kilometres.
- Their population must be below 2 lakh people.
The pilot phase is expected to be completed within one year.

Coverage:

As per Census 2011, India has 7,933 towns covering 1.02 lakh square kilometres out of the country’s total 87 lakh square kilometre geographical area.
Under the NAKSHA initiative, an estimated 4,142.63 square kilometres will be mapped using geospatial technology.

Survey Process:

Aerial Survey: Drones equipped with simple and oblique angle cameras (with LiDAR sensors) will capture high-resolution images, with a ground resolution of 5 cm, better than satellite imagery.
Field Survey: This stage verifies ground conditions, linking property tax, ownership, and registration deeds with land parcels, followed by creating 2D/3D models and publishing draft land ownership details.
Final Mapping: The final stage addresses claims and objections before publishing the final maps.