Discuss how SVAMITVA and eGramSwaraj redefine fiscal and tenure security at the grassroots.

Q. Discuss how SVAMITVA and eGramSwaraj redefine fiscal and tenure security at the grassroots. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The 73rd Amendment (Part IX, Articles 243–243-O) gave Panchayats constitutional status, yet two foundations lagged: a legal record of rights over homestead land, and transparent local finance. SVAMITVA and eGramSwaraj, both launched on 24 April 2020, digitally supply these — reframing security as documented entitlement rather than customary claim.

Redefining tenure security: SVAMITVA - Creates a formal Record of Rights in Abadi (inhabited) areas through drone-and-GIS survey by Survey of India, filling a long-standing legal vacuum in rural homestead tenure [2]. - Scale converts intent into entitlement: drone survey completed in 3.29 lakh of 3.44 lakh targeted villages and 2.65 crore property cards distributed by March 2026 [2]; 3.18 crore cards issued cumulatively [1]. - Turns "dead capital" into collateral — MoPR and the Department of Financial Services are working with banks on loan acceptability, with lending already begun in some States [2]. - Women's co-ownership provisions in States such as Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka extend tenure security socially, complementing Article 243-D reservations [2].

Redefining fiscal security: eGramSwaraj - Integrates planning, budgeting, accounting and audit: 2,54,604 of 2,64,211 Gram Panchayats (96.36%) uploaded their GPDPs, making expenditure plan-linked [3]. - PFMS integration enables real-time vendor payments — ₹38,491 crore routed by 91.92% of GPs, compressing delays and leakage [3]. - AuditOnline, Meri Panchayat and Panchayat Nirnay institutionalise social audit and Gram Sabha transparency [3]. - Underpins credible devolution: rural local body grants rose 84% in twelve years, with 4.10 crore representatives trained under RGSA to absorb them [1].

Limits that persist - Own-source revenue remains thin; both schemes improve flow, not autonomy. - Cards need recognition in State revenue laws; ground-truthing disputes and uneven digital literacy slow uptake.

Together, the two schemes shift the grassroots from discretionary entitlement to documented, auditable rights — tenure secured by title, finance by traceability. Deepening functional and functionary devolution alongside this digital-fiscal architecture would let Panchayats become genuine units of self-government, realising the 73rd Amendment's promise within the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. Building Viksit Bharat from Ground Up: 12 Years of Panchayat Reforms and Innovation, PIB/MoPR — 3.18 crore property cards, 84% rise in rural local body grants, 4.10 crore representatives trained under RGSA 2. Distribution of SVAMITVA Property Cards, PIB/MoPR — drone survey coverage, cards distributed, Survey of India's role, bank collateral acceptance, women's co-ownership 3. E-Gram Swaraj and Digital Empowerment of Panchayats, PIB/MoPR — GPDP upload figures, PFMS integration and vendor payments, AuditOnline and allied applications