The Punjab government on Tuesday gave its nod for digital mapping of all 12,000 plus villages in the state.

This will be done in collaboration with the Remote Sensing Department of the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, Rural Development and Panchayat minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said.

Punjab will be the first state in the country to initiate digital mapping of all 12,000 plus villages in the state, he said.

The state government has approved this exercise to get a detailed view of all villages through satellite imaging and digital mapping, the minister said.

A clear pictorial view of location and measurement of village common land and the extent of encroachment on this land will be available through the exercise.

With the digital mapping of the villages, the government will be able to monitor requirement of every village sitting at the headquarters, Rakhra said.