Lok Sabha Question No. 3316 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-13
Subject: Desertification
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Nalin Kumar Kateel

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3316

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2020

## Desertification

## SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL:

Will the MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is a continuous rise in desertification across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has made any assessment of the extent of degraded land/desertification in the country;
- (c) if so, the details of the total area of land across the country that has been degraded in the last three years;
- (d) whether some species of animals have become extinct in the country due to desertification and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has taken any measures to meet the target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a), (b) and (c)  As per the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India, prepared by the Space  Applications  Centre,  96.4  mha  area  of  the  Country  is  undergoing  the  process  of degradation, i.e., 29.32% of the Total Geographical Area (TGA) of the country during 2011-13, whereas during 2003-05, the area undergoing the process of land degradation was 94.53 mha, i.e. 28.76% of TGA of India. There is a cumulative increase of 1.87 mha area undergoing process of desertification/land degradation in the country (constituting 0.57% of the TGA) during the time frame 2003-05 and 2011-13.

- (d) Zoological  Survey  of  India  has  not  reported  any  species  of  animals  to  have  become extinct due to desertification in the country.

(e)  Yes,  in  the  recently  concluded  14th  session  of  the  Conference  of  Parties  (CoP)  of  United Nations  Convention  to  Combat  Desertification    (UNCCD)  held  in  India  in  September,  2019,

India announced its ambition to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 and Govt. of India has undertaken various steps in this directions through relevant ministries.

National Afforestation & Eco-Development Board (NAEB) Division of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is implementing the "National Afforestation Programme (NAP)" for ecological restoration of degraded forest areas under which an area of over  2  million  ha  has  been  approved  for  afforestation  at  a  cost  of  Rs.3874  crore.  NAP  also supports  Soil  Moisture  Conservation  activities  to  improve  the  soil  moisture  regime  in  the implementation  area  along  with  providing  livelihood  support  for  the  locals.  Various  other schemes like Green India Mission, fund accumulated under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Nagar Van Yojana ete, also help in checking degradation and restoration of forest landscape, MOEF&CC also promote trees outside forests realizing that the country has a huge potential for increasing its Trees Outside Forest (TOF) area primarily through expansion of agroforestry, optimum use of wastelands and vacant lands.

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 subMission on Agro-Forestry, National Bamboo Mission, Prime Minister Krishi Sinchai Yojna- Per Drop More Crop (PMKSY) etc.

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  (upto September  2019),  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).

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, shelter-belt  plantation  and  soil  and  water  conservation;  rehabilitation  of  mine  spoil  areas; methodology for reclaiming degraded land due to water logging and salinity-alkalinity etc.

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