In a major push to resolve long-standing land record issues and improve rural governance, the Odisha government has announced plans to map 1,635 revenue villages across the state. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the initiative aims to address a problem that the previous government left unresolved for over three decades.
Previous Delays and Backlog
According to Pujari, between 1991 and 2024, only 1,000 villages were officially recognised as revenue villages, with just 300 of them mapped by the former administration. The remaining 700 villages were left incomplete. The current government will now map these unfinished villages along with additional new ones, bringing the total to 1,635.
Special Tehsil-Level Offices to Fast-Track Work
To ensure timely completion, the government will establish dedicated offices in each tehsil. These offices will be tasked with recognising villages and integrating them into the state’s administrative system within a fixed deadline. “We are determined to achieve in months what the previous regime couldn’t do in over 30 years,” Pujari stated.
Comprehensive Mapping and Digital Integration
The project will involve creating separate maps for each village, updating land records with new account and plot numbers, and uploading them to Bhulekh, Odisha’s online land records portal. The criteria include villages with more than 250 residents and located at least 500 metres away from an existing revenue village.
Boost to Development and Welfare Access
Once mapped and officially recognised, these villages will gain access to government welfare schemes and funding for infrastructure projects. The move is expected to enhance transparency in land ownership, streamline governance, and improve the delivery of public services in rural Odisha.