Lok Sabha Question No. 4548 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-08
Subject: Conversion of Agri-lands
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA

## 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): Barren  &  Unculturable  land  includes  all  land  covered  by  mountains,  deserts etc., which cannot be brought under cultivation except at an exorbitant cost.  Hence, the details of  barren  land converted  into arable/ agricultural land are  not  maintained separately. However, as per the latest data available on land use statistics in India, Statewise details of 'arable/ agricultural land' and 'barren and unculturable land' for the years from 2012-13 to 2014-15 is given at Annexure .
- (b) to (e): As per the Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, land comes under the purview of State Governments and, therefore, it is for them to take suitable steps to check conversion  of  agricultural  land  for  non-agricultural  purposes.  However,  Government  of India supplements  the  efforts  of  States,  through  appropriate  policy  measures  and budgetary support.

O.I.H.

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4548

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  8 th  JANUARY, 2019

## CONVERSION OF AGRI-LANDS

4548.  SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

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

- (a) the details of the barren land converted into arable land during the last three years, State-wise;
- (b) whether the attention of the Government has been drawn to the increasing cases of conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes;
- (c) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to lay down any policy to check conversion of agricultural land for other purposes in the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

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.    It  was  also  envisaged  that  the 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  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 2015-16, IWMP has been amalgamated to 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 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.

## Annexure

## Annexure referred in part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 4548 due for reply on 08/01/19

State-wise details of arable/agricultural land and barren & unculturable land in the country for the years from 2012-13 to 2014-15 (latest available)

(Thousand Hectares)

| STATES/Uts                | Arable Land/ Agricultural Land   | Arable Land/ Agricultural Land   | Arable Land/ Agricultural Land   | Barren and Unculturable Land   | Barren and Unculturable Land   | Barren and Unculturable Land   |
|---------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| STATES/Uts                | 2012-13                          | 2013-14                          | 2014-15                          | 2012-13                        | 2013-14                        | 2014-15                        |
| ANDHRA PRADESH            | 15930                            | 8879                             | 9047                             | 1959                           | 1341                           | 1351                           |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH         | 424                              | 424                              | 423                              | 38                             | 38                             | 37                             |
| ASSAM                     | 3356                             | 3357                             | 3364                             | 1197                           | 1192                           | 1190                           |
| BIHAR                     | 6582                             | 6578                             | 6579                             | 432                            | 432                            | 432                            |
| CHHATTISGARH              | 5552                             | 5550                             | 5558                             | 290                            | 289                            | 288                            |
| GOA                       | 197                              | 197                              | 197                              | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| GUJARAT                   | 12661                            | 12661                            | 12661                            | 2552                           | 2552                           | 2552                           |
| HARYANA                   | 3664                             | 3645                             | 3656                             | 101                            | 125                            | 119                            |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH          | 812                              | 812                              | 812                              | 777                            | 777                            | 777                            |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR           | 1070                             | 1070                             | 1075                             | 306                            | 306                            | 305                            |
| JHARKHAND                 | 4336                             | 4343                             | 4343                             | 572                            | 568                            | 568                            |
| KARNATAKA                 | 12846                            | 12840                            | 12827                            | 787                            | 787                            | 787                            |
| KERALA                    | 2280                             | 2279                             | 2266                             | 16                             | 14                             | 13                             |
| MADHYA PRADESH            | 17264                            | 17267                            | 17252                            | 1387                           | 1346                           | 1357                           |
| MAHARASHTRA               | 21129                            | 21127                            | 21099                            | 1722                           | 1724                           | 1727                           |
| MANIPUR                   | 316                              | 384                              | 390                              | 1                              | 1                              | 1                              |
| MEGHALAYA                 | 1056                             | 1056                             | 1056                             | 132                            | 131                            | 129                            |
| MIZORAM                   | 408                              | 402                              | 367                              | 8                              | 8                              | 6                              |
| NAGALAND                  | 694                              | 693                              | 694                              | 2                              | 2                              | 2                              |
| ODISHA                    | 6743                             | 6797                             | 6784                             | 1104                           | 1052                           | 1078                           |
| PUNJAB                    | 4286                             | 4219                             | 4285                             | 51                             | 52                             | 58                             |
| RAJASTHAN                 | 25548                            | 25542                            | 25511                            | 2411                           | 2385                           | 2403                           |
| SIKKIM                    | 97                               | 97                               | 97                               | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| TAMIL NADU                | 8126                             | 8120                             | 8112                             | 489                            | 488                            | 489                            |
| TELANGANA                 |                                  | 6929                             | 6877                             | -                              | 615                            | 607                            |
| TRIPURA                   | 274                              | 273                              | 272                              | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| UTTARAKHAND               | 1547                             | 1550                             | 1549                             | 228                            | 228                            | 228                            |
| UTTAR PRADESH             | 19075                            | 18955                            | 18939                            | 479                            | 464                            | 462                            |
| WEST BENGAL               | 5673                             | 5662                             | 5655                             | 13                             | 11                             | 11                             |
| ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS | 28                               | 28                               | 28                               | 2                              | 2                              | 2                              |
| CHANDIGARH                | 1                                | 1                                | 1                                | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| DADRA& N HAVELI           | 24                               | 24                               | 24                               | 0                              | 0                              | 0                              |
| DAMAN & DIU               | 3                                | 3                                | 3                                | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| DELHI                     | 53                               | 53                               | 53                               | 18                             | 18                             | 18                             |
| LAKSHADWEEP               | 2                                | 2                                | 2                                | -                              | -                              | -                              |
| PUDUCHERRY                | 30                               | 30                               | 29                               | 0                              | 0                              | 0                              |
| ALL INDIA                 | 182085                           | 181850                           | 181886                           | 17072                          | 16948                          | 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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