Lok Sabha Question No. 2256 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-08
Subject: Development of Desert Land
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA MTNISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF LAND RESOURCES

## LOK SABHA

T.TNSTARRED  QUESTTON NO.2256 TO BE ANSWERED  ON 08.03.2018

## Development  of Desert Land

## 2256, SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL

Will the Minister  of RURAL  DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the area of desert land is continuously increasing  and the area of fertile  land is decreasing;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/ UT-wise;
- (c) the details of the schemes  being implemented  for the development  of desert land, State/UT-wise;  and
- (d) the details  of the funds allocated, released and spent for the developmental schemes regarding  desert land during  each of the last three years and the current year, State/UTwise?

## AI\SWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

- (a)  to (d): Data on area under desert  land and fertile land in the country is not centrally maintained  in Department  of Land Resources.

An assessment  study commissioned  by Department of Land Resources, which was conducted  by National  Remote  Sensing Centre,  namely "Wastelands  Atlas of India - change Analysis  Based on Temporal  satellite Data of 2005-06 and 2008-09"  (201 1), inter alia contains  estimated area under  wastelands  including desert land during 2005-06 and during 2008-09. The estimated  area under categories  of wastelands pertaining to desert land in the country  was 32,095.90 square km during 2005-06 and27,487.58  square km during 2008-09.  The details of the desert land in the country  are given in Annexure I.

The "Wastelands  Atlas of tndia - Change Analysis Based on Temporal Satellite Data of 2005-06 and 2008-09"  (2011) is available  in the public domain, including on the official  website of the Department  of Land Resources  at http://dolr.nic.  inldolr/wasteland  atlas.asp.

At present there is no specific scheme exclusively for development of desert land in the Department  of Land Resources.  The Department has been implementing  Integrated watershed Management  programme  (IWMp) with effect from 26.02.2009. one of the criteria  which has been adopted for the allocation  of area under  IWMP among the States  for taking up new watershed projects is "identified  Desert Prone  Areas / Drought Prone Areas in the State as percentage  of total Desert Prone Areas and Drought  prone  Areas in the country',. From 2015-16, the IWMP is amalgamated  as the watershed Development component  of the Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi Sinchayee  yojana  (wDC-pMKSy).

Department  of Land Resources  has sanctioned 8214 watershed development projects  in 28 states (except  Goa)  [during  the period 2009-10 to 2014-15] covering an area of about 39.07 million  ha under wDC-pMKSy principally for development  of rainfed portions  of net cultivated  area and culturable  wastelands.

The activities  being undertaken  through the watershed development projects inter alia include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment,  soil and moisture conservation, rain water harvesting,  nursery raising, afforestation,  horticulture, pasture  developmeng  livelihoods for assetless  persons,  etc.

State-wise  details  of number of sanctioned  projects,  area covered  by the projects and Central share released  during the last three years and the current year (upto 28s February  20ls) under IWMp/wDC-pMKSy  are given in Annexure rr.

In addition,  other Central Ministries  / Departments  like Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare are implementing  schemes  and programmes  like the  per Drop More Crop component  of PMKSY which inter alio includes  activities  for water conservation,  drought proofing,  water harvesting,  ground water recharge, etc. that complement  and supplement interventions undertaken  under the WDCPMKSY.

'

-

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred  Question  No. 2256 for answer on 08.03.2018

State / UT-wise details of the desert land in the country*

Area uare km

| Sr. No.   | State           | Desert land#   | Desert land#   |
|-----------|-----------------|----------------|----------------|
|           |                 | 2005-06        | 2008-09        |
| I         | Andhra Pradesh  | 3.76           | 4.69           |
| 2         | Haryana         | 41.19          | 22.76          |
| J         | Jammu & Kashmir | 226.07         | 209.51         |
| 4         | Puniab          | 394.35         | 322.57         |
| 5         | Raiasthan       | 31430.53       | 26928.0s       |
| Total     | Total           | 32095.90       | 27487.s8       |

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred  Question  No. 2256 for answer on 08.03.2018

State-wise  details of number of projects sanctioned,  area of the projects and funds released for the projects  in the last 3 years and the current year

(Area in million ha & Amount in Rs. crore)

| Sr. No.   | State             | No.         | Sanctioned area ofthe   | Central Share Released   | Central Share Released   | Central Share Released   | Central Share Released     |
|-----------|-------------------|-------------|-------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|
|           | State             | of Projects | Projects                | 2014-t5@                 | 2015-16.                 | 2016-17'                 | 2017-18" (upto 28.42.2018) |
| I         | Andhra Pradesh    | 432         | 1.810                   | 163.28                   | 86.73                    | 120.96                   | 123.35                     |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh | 156         | 0.467                   | 0.00                     | 18.00                    | 23.12                    | 0.00                       |
| J         | Assam             | 372         | 1.577                   | 6.99                     | 45.00                    | 0.00                     | 26.80                      |
| 4         | Bihar             | 123         | 0.612                   | 21.47                    | s.00                     | 28.26                    | 19.21                      |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      | 263         | 1.195                   | 10.00                    | 20.00                    | 34.96                    | 33.45                      |
| 6         | Gujarat           | 610         | 3.103                   | 72.34                    | 100.00                   | 1 15.04                  | 87.5 r                     |
| 7         | Haryana           | 88          | 0.362                   | 26.97                    | 6.91                     | 12.82                    | 10.94                      |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh  | 163         | 0.840                   | 0.00                     | 20.00                    | 35.40                    | 26.83                      |
| 9         | Jammu & Kashmir   | 159         | 0.652                   | 51.43                    | 0.00                     | 25.59                    | 2.91                       |
| l0        | Jharkhand         | t7l         | 0.911                   | 0.00                     | 20.00                    | 17.68                    | 0.00                       |
| ll        | Kamataka          | 571         | 2.569                   | 125.43                   | 125.00                   | 145.72                   | 175.69                     |
| 12.       | Kerala            | 83          | 0.423                   | I 5.16                   | 20.00                    | 16.62                    | 1 1.53                     |
| l3        | Madhya Pradesh    | st7         | 2.937                   | 303.98                   | 150.00                   | 129.44                   | 134.84                     |
| t4        | Maharashtra       | I 186       | 5.r28                   | 197.91                   | 250.00                   | 186.95                   | 279.21                     |
| 15        | Manipur           | 102         | 0.491                   | I 1.10                   | 9.00                     | 11.29                    | 13.84                      |
| 16        | Meghalaya         | 96          | 0.236                   | 37.16                    | 18.00                    | 1 1.56                   | 8.95                       |
| t7        | Mizoram           | 89          | 0.373                   | 75.81                    | 8.87                     | 16.06                    | 10.00                      |
| 18        | Nagaland          | lll         | 0.476                   | 95.09                    | 27.00                    | 60.84                    | 32.08                      |
| t9        | Odisha            | 3r0         | 1.700                   | 248.79                   | 67.50                    | 91.99                    | 94.48                      |
| 20        | Punjab            | 67          | 0.314                   | 0.00                     | 7.95                     | 0.00                     | 0.00                       |
| 21        | Raiasthan         | 1025        | 5.764                   | 403.08                   | 200.00                   | 199.35                   | 157.47                     |
| 22        | Sikkim            | l5          | 0.066                   | 0.00                     | 6.30                     | 0.00                     | 1.40                       |
| 23        | TamilNadu         | 270         | 1.368                   | 124.02                   | 7s.00                    | 62.36                    | 82.75                      |
| 24        | Telangana         | 330         | 1.399                   | 124.58                   | 70.00                    | 0.00                     | 51.14                      |
| 25        | Tripura           | 6s          | 0.213                   | 19.04                    | 20.89                    | 27.12                    | 9.99                       |
| 26        | Uttarakhand       | 65          | 0.346                   | 49.77                    | 2s.68                    | 16.1 5                   | 9.97                       |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh     | 612         | 3.045                   | 75.39                    | 75.00                    | s8.38                    | 63.93                      |
| 28        | West Bengal       | 163         | 0.693                   | 25.85                    | 10.00                    | 24.06                    | 15.48                      |
|           | Total             | 8214        | 39.07                   | 2284.63                  | 1487.83                  | 1471.72                  | 1483.75                    |

#Released under the Watershed  Development Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee  Yojana (PMKSY)

- Note:  1) WDC-PMKSY is not operational  in Union Territories.

2) There is no sanctioned project in Goa.