The Jharkhand government has put on hold the central government’s land survey scheme, Swamitva Yojana, after protest from tribals in Khunti district.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, replying to a question raised by CPI-ML MLA from Bagodar Vinod Kumar Singh in the Assembly on Friday, said: “The scheme is being implemented across the country by the Union government. In Khunti, the survey has been undertaken in several blocks. People in some parts of the district, however, had been protesting against the programme. As of now, we are putting the survey on hold. A proper decision in the matter will be taken after an assessment of the situation.”

Some 662,162 villages across all states of India will be surveyed with drone technology under the proposed ownership scheme implemented by the panchayati raj ministry. The pilot project began in the country in April 2020 and aims to create digital records of immovable properties of rural residents. Under the scheme villagers will be given personal rights records i.e. property cards and people will also be able to avail the benefits of legal aid, relief from encroachment, bank loans, etc.

Gram sabhas in Torpa, Arki and Karra blocks of Khunti district have resolved not to allow drone surveys to be conducted in their villages, as part of the ownership scheme. Rejan Topno, a village headman of Torpa block, who joined the protest, said: “The khatiyan (land document) of 1932 has the names of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. It has all the details. In our view, if this survey is done, we will lose the khatiyan. Also, how do we know whether the property card that the government gives will be correct or not?”

Dayamani Barla, convener and activist of the Adivasi-Mulnivasi Astitva Raksha Manch who has been spearheading the agitation, said Jharkhand was distinct from other states since tribals here had their own language, culture and traditions that were based on co-existence with water, forests and land.

“The social, economic, cultural and political strength of the tribals is associated with water, forests and land. They have their own separate constitutional rights. We fear that this scheme would take up community land in the garb of giving property rights to tribals,” she said.

Vinod Kumar Singh had asked in the ongoing budget session of the Assembly: “Khunti falls under 5th schedule area (under which tribal rights are protected). Many houses or constructions have been made there in violation of the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act. Gram sabhas there have been demonstrating against the drone survey. I want to ask the government if it also intends to give ownership rights for properties built in violation of the Act.”