In a sweeping change, India has now deregulated map-making and geospatial data generation, allowing the private companies to conduct surveys and mapping without any restriction or prior government approval. Until the policy changed, Survey of India, the agency of the Central government, handled the mapping in the country.

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However, now not only can the private entities participate in the process but can also benefit from geospatial data generated by government agencies such as the Survey of India and the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government had taken the decision to provide a huge impetus to Digital India.

"Liberalising policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in our vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” the PM further wrote in a tweet.

Our government has taken a decision that will provide a huge impetus to Digital India. Liberalising policies governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data is a massive step in our vision for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. #mapmakingsimplified https://t.co/ssbPhAeSp1

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 15, 2021

In another tweet, he said, “The reforms will unlock tremendous opportunities for our country’s start-ups, private sector, public sector and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions. This will also generate employment and accelerate economic growth”.

Why it is important:

Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, said geospatial data is critical to all kinds of planning and development work. One of the three objectives of deregulation of the sector, he added, is to make it easy for private players to collect, use and share geospatial data.

The second aim, he said, is to allow private players to survey and map all the physically accessible areas without prior approvals from the government. The third objective, according to him, is to ensure government agencies share collected data with public and industries.

Sharma also emphasised that government agencies and the private sector must collaborate strongly to avoid duplication.

What the new guidelines say:

Since map-making was readily available across the globe, the Department of Science and Technology, said there was no reason for geospatial data to be restricted in India.

The new guidelines also underline that Indian corporations and innovators are neither restricted nor do they require prior approvals to collect, generate, prepare, disseminate, store, publish, update digital Geospatial Data and Maps within the territory of India.

Even Science Minister Harsh Vardhan said that regulatory restrictions had subjected Indian startups to unnecessary red-tapism and hindered innovation in mapping technology for decades.

How much does the sector stand to gain:

According to the government estimates, the deregulation of the sector will give it a major fillip, taking its value to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2030 and create job opportunities for 2.2 million people. It also says the liberalisation of the sector will help India realise its "Atmanirbhar Bharat" mission and the 5-trillion dollar economy goal.

(Edited by : Aditi Gautam)

First Published:Feb 16, 2021 3:43 PM IST