Lok Sabha Question No. 3276 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-13
Subject: Land Degradation Neutrality
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sumedhanand Saraswati, Devji Mansingram Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3276

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2020

## Land Degradation Neutrality

3276: SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI, SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST   AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that agriculture production has been affected in various States including Rajasthan due to desertification;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the efforts being made by the Government to check desertification; and
- (c) the  steps  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  achieve  land degradation  neutrality  by  the  year  2030  as  per  the  commitment  laid  down  in United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO )

(a)  and  (b)  As  per  the  Desertification  and  Land  Degradation  Atlas  of  India,  prepared  by  the Space Applications Centre for the period 2011-2013, 29.32 % of the Total Geographical Area of the country i.e. 96.4 million hectares is undergoing the process of degradation.  The area under desertification is 82.64 million hectares including Rajasthan. It is therefore an issue of increasing concern for agricultural productivity in the country.

Various  steps  have  been  taken by  the  Government  of  India  to  address  the  impact  of desertification  on  agricultural  productivity.  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and  Farmers'Welfare  has taken  up  various  programmes  like  the  National  Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  which includes interventions such as the Soil Health Card, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna, Mission Organic  Value  Chain  Development  for  North-Eastern  Region,  Rain  Fed  Area  Development, National  Agro-Forestry  policy  and  the  sub-Mission  on  Agro-Forestry,   National  Bamboo Mission, Prime Minister Krishi Sinchai Yojna- Per Drop More Crop (PMKSY).

The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (of the Watershed Management Division of the Ministry of Rural Development) was amalgamated as a Watershed Development Component of  PMKSY in 2015-16 and an  area  of  about  20.5  million  hectares  has  been  developed  under completed and ongoing projects. Upto October 2019 an amount of Rs 17751.75 crore has been released  to  States  as  Central  share  for  implementation  of  Watershed  Development  Project. Between 2014-15 to 2019-20, total 6,08,384 water harvesting structures were created/rejuvenated, an additional area of 13,47,527 hectares has been brought under protective irrigation, and 27,25,587 farmers have been benefitted during the said period. Under afforestation/horticultural  activities  92,000  hectares  degraded  and  rain-fed  lands  have  been covered during 2018-19 and 2019-20 (upto second quarter).

Department  of  Land  Resources,  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  is  contemplating  to initiate a new programme under which it is proposed to sanction new projects covering 5 million ha/year from 2020-21 to 2023-24. It is also proposed to complete 577 ongoing projects which have  life  span  upto  2021-22  subject  to  approval  of  the  Government  for  continuation  of  the existing scheme beyond March, 2020.

Studies have also been carried out under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to combat desertification on various issues such as assessment of status of desertification in India's Arid Regions through satellite remote sensing  and identification of field-based indicators; checking soil erosion, sand movement and control wind erosion through sand dune stabilisation, shelterbelt plantation and soil and water conservation; rehabilitation of mine spoil areas; methodology for reclaiming degraded land due to water logging and salinity-alkalinity etc.

(c)  India  has  committed to achieve land degradation neutrality status by 2030. At the recently concluded 14 th session  of  the  Conference  of  Parties  of  United  Nations  Convention  to  Combat Desertification held in India in September, 2019, India has raised its ambition to restore degraded land from 21 mha  to 26 mha by 2030.

National  Afforestation  &  Eco  Development  Board  (NAEB),  Ministry  of  Environment, Forest and Climate Change  is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme  "National Afforestation  Programme  (NAP)"  for  regeneration  of  degraded  forests  and  adjoining  areas through people's participation. The scheme implemented through a decentralized mechanism of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest Development agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at Village level. The scheme is demand driven and afforestation area is sanctioned on the basis of past performance, potential degraded forest land available for eco-restoration and availability of budget. An amount of Rs, 3874.02 Crore has been released to the States to treat an area of 21.95 Iakh hectares since inception of this programme in 2000-02 till 2018-19.

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