Core Reason for Opposition:
Under the Svamitva Scheme, property registrations are conducted free of cost. Patwaris are required to work throughout the day without receiving any bribes in return, which is highlighted as the primary and sole reason behind their strike.
Complaints and Corruption Allegations:
Patwaris face the highest number of bribery complaints in Madhya Pradesh. Most complaints are lodged during the Tuesday Public Hearings (Jansunvai), on the CM Helpline, and in Lokayukta enforcement actions, where Patwaris are caught most frequently.
They demand bribes ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹1,00,000 for routine tasks like mutation (namaantaran), loan passbooks (rin pustika), and record updates, charging more based on the urgency of the citizen's need.
Bribes are frequently extorted in the names of senior officials such as the SDM and Collector. Despite earning a salary of approximately ₹1,00,000 per month under the 7th Pay Commission, they regularly collect bribes.
Proposed Condition for Ending Opposition:
If the feature of simultaneous/instant registration is removed from the scheme and Patwaris are given time until 2028 to complete registrations, they would have no objections and would no longer view their jobs as being at risk.
