Dr. Jitendra Singh Launches Geoportals for Rural Land Records and Emergency Management

Congratulating the ISRO team on the launch of the geoportals, Dr. Singh remarked, "We have not only launched rockets and reached the sky but we are also mapping the earth from the sky."

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh today launched two significant geoportals, 'Bhuvan Panchayat (Ver. 4.0)' for rural land records and the 'National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM Ver. 5.0),' developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The event took place at Prithvi Bhavan.

These advanced geospatial tools are designed for visualization and planning, providing high-resolution satellite imagery at a 1:10K scale for locations across the entire country.

"Launch of these portals is a sequel to reforms introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last decade," said Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, and various other departments. Recalling the journey that began soon after Prime Minister Modi took office in 2014, Dr. Singh mentioned a brainstorming session in 2015-16 on the applications of Space Technology for infrastructure development, planning, disaster risk reduction, land record management, weather forecasting, and agriculture development.

Congratulating the ISRO team on the launch of the geoportals, Dr. Singh remarked, "We have not only launched rockets and reached the sky but we are also mapping the earth from the sky." He emphasized that space technology has entered every household, carrying forward the vision of Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of India's space program, who believed that space development would significantly impact the lives of common citizens through telemedicine, digital India initiatives, and more.

Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated the government's priority to integrate various services, allowing common citizens to benefit from them. He highlighted the positive impact of policy decisions under the Modi government, which opened the space sector to private participation, growing from one startup in 2022 to over 200 startups in 2024. He also mentioned that nearly 1000 crore rupees of private investment have entered the space sector, showcasing the government's support for innovation and growth.

Highlighting the importance of the 'Bhuvan Panchayat Portal' in supporting "Space-based Information Support for Decentralized Planning (SISDP)" and empowering citizens at the grassroots level, Dr. Singh said the portal will revolutionize land record management by digitizing land revenue management. This will provide real-time data to citizens, reduce their dependence on local administration for land records, and curb corruption at the grassroots level.

Speaking about the benefits of the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM Ver. 5.0), Dr. Singh noted that it would provide space-based inputs on natural disasters and aid in disaster risk reduction in India and neighboring countries. The system will help prevent the impacts of natural disasters through effective early warning systems and real-time monitoring, informing about land use and land change (LULC).

Dr. Singh shared that a command center has been established to monitor situations continuously and provide valuable inputs. He highlighted that these portals will be as useful as the Swamitva Portal, which has become a model for many countries in terms of land record and land revenue management.

ISRO Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Space, Shri S. Somanath, expressed gratitude towards Dr. Jitendra Singh for his continuous guidance and leadership. Other dignitaries present at the launch included Shri Vivek Bhardwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj; Shri Ravi Chandran, Secretary, Earth Sciences; Shri S.K. Jindal, Additional Secretary, MHA; Rajesh S., Inspector General of Forest, MoEFCC; Manish K., Deputy Director General, GSI, Ministry of Mines; and Dr. Prakash Chauhan, Director, NRSC.