On Tuesday (December 24), the UP Assembly passed the Rural Abadi Act, 2025, commonly known as the Gharoni Law. Once the notification is issued, people living in villages will be able to take bank loans for building houses. In addition, ownership records of residential land in rural areas can now be officially corrected and updated.
This law is important because it makes the buying, selling, and transferring of residential land in villages much easier. At the same time, it strengthens ownership rights for rural residents. Earlier, ownership records were unclear in many cases; however, now the Gharoni document itself will be treated as the official legal proof. As a result, changing names in Gharoni records due to inheritance, sale, or other reasons will become simpler. Moreover, provisions have been made to correct mistakes and update mobile numbers and addresses in the records.
Legal Recognition to Drone-Based Records under SVAMITVA Scheme
Under the Government of India’s SVAMITVA Scheme, ownership records of rural residential areas are being prepared using drone technology. Therefore, the Uttar Pradesh government has taken this step to give legal status to these records. Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh said that after this law comes into force, Gharoni records can be safely preserved, regularly updated, and legally managed.
He further explained that the main aim of the SVAMITVA Scheme is to conduct accurate surveys in villages and provide people with proper ownership documents for their houses. Because of this, rural residents will be able to use their land and houses to get bank loans and other financial benefits. In addition, the scheme will help in maintaining correct land records, fixing property tax, creating GIS maps, and preparing better development plans for village panchayats.
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Coverage of Over 1.10 Lakh Villages and Clear Amendment Rules
The minister informed that an MoU has already been signed between the central government and the Uttar Pradesh government for this scheme. So far, about 1,10,344 villages in the state have been notified under it. Out of these, excluding non-inhabited villages, drone surveys have been completed in 90,573 villages. By 9 May 2025, more than 1.06 crore Gharoni documents had been prepared. Importantly, over 1.01 crore of these have already been distributed to villagers.
He also said that after Gharoni documents are issued, changes are often required over time due to inheritance, succession, or sale. However, until now, there were no clear rules for making such amendments. Therefore, on the proposal of the Revenue Council, this bill was introduced to remove these gaps.
Under the new law, the rural residential record will be called Gharoni, which will include details such as the owner’s name and address, plot details, area, sketch, and location information. All Gharonis of a village will be compiled into a Gharoni Register, and a separate residential area map will also be prepared. Clear procedures have been defined for surveys, record preparation, and issuance of notifications. Moreover, the District Magistrate (DM) will be appointed as the Record Officer in each district.
According to Minister Jaiveer Singh, once this law is implemented, property disputes in rural areas will reduce significantly. At the same time, transparency in records, a better taxation system, and planned development will get a strong boost. Overall, this law is expected to have a historic and long-term impact on rural residential areas in Uttar Pradesh.
