Full Form: NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations (NAKSHA).

Launched by: Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Type: City survey initiative under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).

Nodal Agency: Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Ministry of Rural Development.

Objective:

• Prepare maps of towns and cities.

• Create comprehensive and accurate digital urban land records.

• Integrate aerial and field surveys with advanced GIS technology for better land governance.

Pilot Project Details:

• Covers 152 urban local bodies across 26 states.

• Selection criteria:

  1. Area less than 35 sq km.

  2. Population less than 2 lakh.

• Duration: 1 year.

Coverage:

• India has 7,933 towns covering 1.02 lakh sq km (Census 2011).

• NAKSHA pilot will cover 4,142.63 sq km.

Funding:

• 100% centrally funded.

• Pilot cost: approx. ₹ 194 crore.

• Unit cost:

  • ₹ 25,000–₹ 30,000 per sq km (simple camera).

  • ₹ 60,000 per sq km (3D camera).

Expected Benefits:

• Reduce land disputes.

• Aid faster and more efficient urban planning.

• Improve property tax collection.

• Simplify property transactions.

• Improve access to credit.

• Enable efficient land use planning.

• Ensure accurate decision-making in urban development.