Lok Sabha Question No. 96 (STARRED), answered on 2018-07-24
Subject: Cultivable Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAOSAHEB PATIL DANVE

O.I.H.

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

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 96

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 24 TH  JULY, 2018

## CULTIVABLE LAND

- *96.     SHRI RAOSAHEB DANVE PATIL:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  AND  FARMERS  WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè be pleased to state:

- (a) the total area of cultivable land and barren land in the country at present, State/ UTwise;
- (b) the details of measures taken by the Government to make the barren land fertile and the extent of success achieved in this regard; and
- (c) the  policy  of  the  Government  for  using  such  unutilized  land  in  the  State  of Maharashtra so that the farmers are directly benefited?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

- कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण ½ãâ¨ããè (SHRI RADHA MOHAN SINGH) (a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.  96   DUE FOR REPLY ON 24 TH  JULY, 2018.

- (a): As per the latest data available on land use statistics in India, State-wise details of 'cultivable/agricultural land' and 'barren and unculturable land' for the year 2014-15 is given at Annexure.
- (b) & (c): As per the Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, land comes under the purview of State Governments and, therefore, it is for the them to take suitable steps to make barren land fertile. However, Government of India supplements the efforts of States,  including  the  State  of  Maharashtra,  through  appropriate  policy  measures  and budgetary support. 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  wasteland/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 hectares in the last two decades.

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  non-agricultural  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, Department of Land Resources

-2- under  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  has  been  implementing  Integrated  Watershed Management  Programme  (IWMP)  since  2009,  principally  for  development  of  rainfed portions of net cultivated area and culturable wastelands,. From the financial year 201516, IWMP has been amalgamated with the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY).  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 development, livelihoods for assetless persons etc.

Government  has  also  launched  one  of  the  largest  universal  Soil  Health  Card Schemes in the world to provide information about fertility of land to farmers based on testing  soil  samples  for  12  parameters.  As  of  31.03.2018,  approximately  10.64  crore Soil Health Cards have been distributed in the cycle-1 and 2.11 crore in Cycle-2.

Apart from this, the India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed location specific bio-engineering soil & water conservation measure, land management techniques,  soil  reclamation  measures  for  saline,  alkali,  waterlogged  and  acid  soils, selection of suitable crop including agro forestry interventions and other practices like integrated nutrient management, supplementary/protective irrigation to make barren/waste  lands  fertile  and  cultivable.  While  Indian  Institute  of  Soil  and  Water Conservation (IISWC) has developed several location specific bio-engineering measures to check soil erosion due to run-off of rain water, Central Arid Zone Research Institute,   Jodhpur has developed sand dune stabilization and shelter belt technology to

check:  wind  erosion.  The  Council  through  Central  Soil  Salinity  Research  Institute, Kamal and All India Coordinated Research Project (AlCRP) on Salt Affected Soils has developed  reclamation  technology,  sub-surface  drainage,  bio-drainage,  agroforestry interventions and salt tolerant crop varieties to improve the productivity of saline, sodic and waterlogged soils in the country. The ICAR also imparts training, organises (Front Line Demonstrations) FLDs etc. to educate farmers on all the aspects.

## Annexure

## Annexure referred in part (a) of reply to Lok Sabha Starred Q. No. 96 due for reply on 24/07/18

## State-wise details of cultivable/agricultural land and barren & unculturable land in the country for the year 2014-15 (latest available)

(Thousand Hectares)

| STATES/UTs        |   Cultivable Land/ Agricultural Land | Barren and Unculturable Land   |
|-------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH    |                                 9047 | 1351                           |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH |                                  423 | 37                             |
| ASSAM             |                                 3364 | 1190                           |
| BIHAR             |                                 6579 | 432                            |
| CHHATTISGARH      |                                 5558 | 288                            |
| GOA               |                                  197 | -                              |
| GUJARAT           |                                12661 | 2552                           |
| HARYANA           |                                 3656 | 119                            |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH  |                                  812 | 777                            |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR   |                                 1075 | 305                            |
| JHARKHAND         |                                 4343 | 568                            |
| KARNATAKA         |                                12827 | 787                            |
| KERALA            |                                 2266 | 13                             |
| MADHYA PRADESH    |                                17252 | 1357                           |
| MAHARASHTRA       |                                21099 | 1727                           |
| MANIPUR           |                                  390 | 1                              |
| MEGHALAYA         |                                 1056 | 129                            |
| MIZORAM           |                                  367 | 6                              |
| NAGALAND          |                                  694 | 2                              |
| ODISHA            |                                 6784 | 1078                           |
| PUNJAB            |                                 4285 | 58                             |
| RAJASTHAN         |                                25511 | 2403                           |
| SIKKIM            |                                   97 | -                              |
| TAMIL NADU        |                                 8112 | 489                            |
| TELANGANA         |                                 6877 | 607                            |
| TRIPURA           |                                  272 | -                              |
| UTTARAKHAND       |                                 1549 | 228                            |
| UTTAR PRADESH     |                                18939 | 462                            |
| WEST BENGAL       |                                 5655 | 11                             |
| A&N ISLAND        |                                   28 | 2                              |
| CHANDIGARH        |                                    1 | -                              |
| D & N HAVELI      |                                   24 | 0                              |
| DAMAN & DIU       |                                    3 | -                              |
| DELHI             |                                   53 | 18                             |
| LAKSHADWEEP       |                                    2 | -                              |
| PUDUCHERRY        |                                   29 | 0                              |
| ALL INDIA         |                               181886 | 16996                          |

Note:'0' relates to the area below 500 Hectares

Source: Directorate of Economics And Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

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