Lok Sabha Question No. 2397 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-01-02
Subject: Land under Farming
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2397

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND  JANUARY, 2018

## LAND UNDER FARMING

## 2397.     DR. P.K. BIJU:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  percentage  of  land  under  agriculture  farming  has  declined  since  the independence;
- (b) whether  there  has  been  any  change  in  land  use  from  agriculture  to  non-agriculture purposes and if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) whether  the  change  in  land  use  was  done  by  seeking  proper  permission  from  the authorities and if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government against those who  have  changed  the  land  use  without  proper  permission,  thereby  affecting  the  aggregate national crop production?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a) &  (b): As  per  the  latest  data  available  on  land  use  statistics,  area  under  agriculture farming (Agricultural Land) in the country in 1950-51 was 66.70 percent of the reporting area and estimated to have declined to 59.09 percent in 2014-15. The reduction in percentage of agricultural land has been mainly due to diversion of land for non-agricultural purposes such as urbanization,  roads,  industries,  housing  etc.  While  there  is  shift  in  agricultural  land  for  nonagricultural purposes, non-agricultural land is also being brought under agricultural uses.
- (c): As per Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, land comes under the purview of State Government  and,  therefore,  it  is  for  the  State  Governments  to  take  suitable  steps  to  check diversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.  However, under the National Policy for Farmers - 2007 (NPF-2007), State Governments have been advised to earmark lands with low biological potential  such as uncultivable land, land affected by salinity, acidity, etc., for nonagricultural development activities, including industrial and construction activities.

National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy -2007 (NRRP-2007) has also recommended that as far as possible, projects may be set up on waste land, degraded land or un-irrigated  land.    Acquisition  of  irrigated,  multi-cropped  agricultural  land  for  non-agricultural uses may be kept to the minimum and avoided, to the extent possible.  Further, Ministry of Rural Development is implementing an Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) for development  of  rainfed/  degraded  areas.    The  IWMP  has  been  converted  to  the  Watershed Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) from the financial year 2015-16.

Further, Government of India is implementing National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) with a view to prevent soil erosion, land degradation and also to maintain balance in various types of land uses across the country.  Under this mission all types of land including  wastelands/barren  land  are  developed  with  suitable  need  based  soil  and  water conservation  measures  and  parts  of  such  degraded  lands  developed  are  put  to  agricultural practices, leading to net sown area remaining largely unchanged around 141 million ha. in last two decades .

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