Policy Watch

The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023 was notified in the Official Gazette on 11 August 2023. The Act imposes significant obligations on GIS platforms, urban data systems, grievance portals, and property record applications that process personal data of Indian citizens. Platforms processing data of significant numbers of individuals may be designated Significant Data Fiduciaries (SDF) with enhanced obligations. Rules under Section 40 of the Act are being finalized by MeitY. Verify the current status of Rules notification before planning compliance timelines.

The Guidelines for acquiring and producing Geospatial Data and Geospatial Data Services (February 2021) fundamentally reformed India's geospatial data policy. Private companies no longer require prior government approval to acquire, use, or disseminate geospatial data on Indian territory. Restrictions on map accuracy have been significantly relaxed. This policy is the foundational enabler for GIS-based city platforms, drone surveying businesses, and Digital Twin implementations. All major GIS programme implementations post-February 2021 operate under this liberalised framework.

The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme uses drone-based spatial surveys to demarcate inhabited (abadi) land in rural villages and issue property cards (Adhikar abhilekh) to rural households. Implemented in partnership with state revenue departments and Survey of India. As of 2024-25, lakhs of villages across multiple states have been surveyed. States covered include MP, Uttarakhand, UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka, and others. Verify current coverage statistics at the official portal.

The Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP) — erstwhile NLRMP — focuses on computerisation of land records, digitisation of cadastral maps, integration of land records with registration systems, and establishment of a GIS-based Single Window system. Key deliverables include integration of Record of Rights (RoR) with registration, unique land parcel identification, and integration with Aadhaar. All states are at varying stages of implementation. DoLR monitors state-wise progress and allocates funds under Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Verify current state-level status at the DILRMP portal.

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan — launched October 2021 — is an integrated multimodal infrastructure planning platform built on a GIS foundation. It brings together 16 Ministries on a single spatial platform to plan and coordinate infrastructure projects, eliminating departmental siloes and road-rail-utility corridor conflicts. The platform features layered mapping of transport, energy, digital, and social infrastructure. State governments are connected via PM Gati Shakti State NMPs. City-level GIS and Digital Twin systems can integrate with the national platform for logistic corridor and inter-city connectivity data. Accessible at gatishakti.gov.in (government users) and logistics.gov.in (public data).

AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation — Phase 2) was launched in October 2021 with a total outlay of ₹2,77,000 crore over 5 years, including state and ULB share. The Mission covers all statutory towns (4,700+) with focus on universal water supply, complete liquid waste management, and building/construction plan reforms. GIS-based utility mapping is a key requirement for project planning and monitoring. Cities must prepare City Water Balance Plans using spatial data. Drone surveys for utility mapping are eligible for AMRUT funding. Verify current Phase status and fund utilisation deadlines at amrut.gov.in.

The Telangana DHARANI (Dharani — Integrated Land Records Management System) portal replaced the legacy Mee Bhoomi system to provide a single integrated platform for land registration, mutation, and encumbrance certificate issuance. The portal integrates GIS-based property mapping with revenue records, making Telangana one of the earliest states to achieve seamless land records-registration integration. It uses village-level cadastral GIS layers digitised under DILRMP. The platform has served millions of property transactions and is referenced as a model by DoLR for other states. Verify current statistics, service levels, and any legal challenges at the official portal before citing data.

Bhuvan, operated by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under ISRO, is India's national geoportal providing web-based access to satellite imagery, thematic maps, and spatial services for government users, researchers, and the public. It hosts datasets including Cartosat imagery, agricultural crop maps, disaster management layers, and climate data. Government departments can access higher-resolution data through institutional agreements with NRSC. Bhuvan is the official Indian alternative to commercial satellite providers for government GIS projects. Verify current dataset availability, resolution levels, and access procedures at bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in.

The National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) is India's framework for standardising the production, management, and sharing of geospatial data across government agencies at central, state, and local levels. Managed by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and Survey of India (SoI), NSDI promotes OGC-compliant standards, standardised metadata, and inter-agency data exchange protocols. All government GIS projects — urban, rural, infrastructure, and resource mapping — are expected to align with NSDI standards for data formats, coordinate systems, and metadata. State SDI portals in Karnataka (KSRSAC), Gujarat (BISAG-N), Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and others operate under NSDI alignment. Verify current NSDI guidelines version and any revisions at the official portal.