Lok Sabha Question No. 4569 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-23
Subject: Reclamation of Degraded Lands
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Rajveer (Raju Bhaiya) Singh, Vinod Kumar Sonkar, Jayanta Kumar Roy, Sukanta Majumdar, Bhola Singh, Nisith Pramanik, Raja Amareshwara Naik

## LOK SABHA

LTNSTARRED  QUESTION No. 4569 TO BE ANSWERED  ON 23.03.202I

## Reclamation  of Degraded Lands

## 4569. SHRIMATI  SANGEETA  KUMARI SINGH DEO:

SHRI RAJVEER SINGH (RAJU BAAIYA):

SHRI VINOD KUMAR SONKAR:

DR. JAYANTA  KUMAR ROY:

DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

SHRI NISITH PRAMANIK:

SHRI RAJA AMARESHWARA NAIK:

will the Minister  of RURAL DEVELOPMENT  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether 35 per cent of the country's land is degraded/eroded  due to deforestation, unsustainable  agricultural practices and excessive  ground water extraction  etc.;
- (b) if so, the details of the extent of degraded lands and the corrective measures  taken by the Government  in this regard, StatefuT-wise;
- (c) whether the Ministry has any plan/scheme for the treatment/reclamation  of degraded  lands;
- (d) if so, the details  thereof including  funds  sanctioned and the work done during the last three years and the current year, StatefuT-wise;
- (e) whether the country is committed  to land degradation  neutrality by 2030 as part of the Sustai nable Development  Goals;
- (f) ifso, the details thereof;  and
- (g) the other corrective  steps  taken/being  taken by the Union Government  in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI NARENDRA  SINGH TOMAR)

- (a)  to (g): As per information of Indian Council of Agricultural  Research (ICAR), around 120.4  million  ha of total geographical  area of the county is affected by various kinds of land degradation comprising  of water erosion  (82.6 million ha), wind erosion  (12.0 million ha), chemical  degradation (24.8 million ha) and physical degradation (1.0 million ha).

ICAR has developed  several  location  specific bio-engineering measures  to check soil erosion due to run-off  of rain water, sand dune stabilization  and shelter  belt technology  to check wind erosion and reclamation  technology for problem soils in the country.

Department  of Land Resources has sanctioned, g2l4  watershed  development projects covering an area of about 39.07 million hectare in 2g States (except Goa)  [now 27 States and  urs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh)  during the period 2009-10  to 2014-15  ulde\_1\_e1slwhile  Integrated  watershed Management  programme (IWMP). Subsequently  IWMp was amalgamated  as a waterihed Deveiopment component  of Pradhan  Mantri Krishi Sinchayee  yojana  (wDC-pMKSy)  in'zol5\_ 16. A total number  of 1832 projects  (345 uninitiatedand i+sz in preparatory  stage) were transferred  to various States  in 20lg to implement them from their own budget. The focus of DoLR is to complete 6382 projects.  Out of 63g2 sanctioned projects being funded by Department  of Land Reiouices,4769  projects have been reported as completed,409  projects are in Consolidation  phase  and 1204 projects are in Work Phase (as on28.02.2021).

The activities  being undertaken  through the watershed  developm ent proiects inter alia include  ridge area treatment,  drainage  line treatment, soil and moisture conservation,  rain water harvesting,  nursery  raising,  afforeitation, horticulture, pasture  development,  livelihoods for assetless  persons,  etc.

State-wise  details of number of sanctioned  projects, area covered by the projects and central  share released during  the last tir.." y"u., and the current year (upto 28.02.2021)  are given  in Annexure I.

In addition, other Central Ministries  / Departments  like Ministry of Agriculture  and Farmers welfare are implementing  schemes and p.ogru,n*",  like ihe  per  Drop More Crop component of PMKSY  which inter aiia includes activities for water conservation,  drought proofing,  water harvesting,  ground water recharge,  etc. that complement  and supplement interventions  undertakin under the wDC-pMKSy.

National Afforestatio\_n  & Eco-Deveropment  Board, Ministry  of Environment, Forests  & climate change is imprementing  National  afforestation  programme S4pl  for ecological restoration  of degraded forest area. The scheme is implemented  through a decentralized mechanism  of State Forest  Development Agency  (SFDA)  at State level, Forest Development  agency (FDA)  at i.orest Division level and Joint Forest Management  Committees  llrVrbs;  at Village level. An amount  of Rs' 237.80 crores has been released  to the States to treat an area of 76957 hectares  duringthe last three years  and the current  financial year. The Statewise / Year-wise  details of approved  area and fund released undir NAp scheme during last three  years  and current financial year  are given in Annexure  II.

Further,  Govemment  of India has announced  the commitment  to work towards achieving  Land Degradation  Neutrality (LDN)  by 2030 with the cooperation  and synchronized  efforts of all the relevant Ministries / Departments.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred  Question  No. 4569 for answer on 23.03.2021.

State-wise details of number of WDC-PMKSY projects sanctioned, area covered by the projects and funds released as central share  during  the last three years and the current year

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(Area in million ha, Amount in Rs. crore)

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Sanctioned under the erstwhile  Integrated Watershed Management  Programme  (IWMP), which has been amalgamated as the Watershed  Development Yojana (PMKSY)  with effect from 2015-16. Component (WDC)  of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee 8214 39.07 1691.81 1780.55 1472.33 889.77

| ．  m︒     | State             | Sanctioned (from 2009-10 to 2014-lS7@   | Sanctioned (from 2009-10 to 2014-lS7@   | Central share released   | Central share released   | Central share released   | Central share released    |
|------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
| ．  m︒     | State             | Total no. of Proiects                   | Area of the proiects                    | 2017…18                  | 2018- 19                 | 2019…20                  | 2020-21(as on 28.02.2021) |
| l          | Andhra Pradesh    | 432                                     | 1.810                                   | 123.35                   | 139.15                   | 144.39                   | 43.89                     |
| 2          | Arunachal Pradesh | 156                                     | 0.467                                   | 9.62                     | 19,17                    | 55.71                    | 5,80                      |
| 3          | Assam             | 372                                     | 1.577                                   | 65.09                    | 66.55                    | 49.03                    | 169.26                    |
| 4  ­      | Bihar             | 123                                     | 0.612                                   | 19.21                    | 46。 77                   | 88.37                    | 0.00                      |
|  t        | Chhattisgarh      | 263                                     | 1.195                                   | 33.45                    | 57.03                    | 47.07                    | 0.00                      |
| 6          | Guiarat           | 610                                     | 3.103                                   | 87.51                    | 151.84                   | 77.93                    | 0.00                      |
| 7          | Haryana           | 88                                      | 0.362                                   | 10.94                    | 10.00                    | 7.13                     | 13.68                     |
| 8          | Himachal Pradesh  |  Â  i  Ú  Ò                         | 0.840                                   | 26.83                    | 24.04                    | 66.87                    | 0.00                      |
| 9          | Jammu & Kashmir*  | 159                                     | 0.652                                   | 43.66                    | 71.87                    | 0.00                     | 38.82                     |
| 10         | Jharkhand         | 171                                     | 0.911                                   | 0.00                     | 28.83                    | 36.77                    | 0.00                      |
|            | Karnataka         | 571                                     | 2.569                                   | 175。 69                  | 101.07                   | 21.76                    | 6.16                      |
| 12         | Kerala            | 83                                      | 0.423                                   | 17.83                    | 13.06                    | 48.77                    | 0.00                      |
| 13         | Madhya Pradesh    | 517                                     | 2.937                                   | 134.84                   | 162.41                   | 221.28                   | 84.90                     |
| 14         | Maharashtra       | 1186                                    | 5.128                                   | 279.21                   | 163.33                   | 103.00                   | 0.00                      |
| 15         | Manipur           | 102                                     | 0.491                                   | 13.84                    | 14.14                    | 1.46                     | 0.00                      |
| 16         | Meghalaya         | 96                                      | 0.236                                   | 8.95                     | 6.69                     | 1.19                     | 0.00                      |
| 17         | Mizoram           | 89                                      | 0.373                                   | 22.35                    | 23.14                    | 22.27                    | 0.00                      |
|  O  O    | Nagaland          |                                         | 0.476                                   | 32.08                    | 38.51                    | 137.55                   | 3.53                      |
| 19         | Odisha            | 310                                     | 1.700                                   | 94.48                    | 102.17                   | 83.11                    | 1.75                      |
| 20         | Puniab            | 67                                      | 0.314                                   | 7.96                     | 0.00                     | 0.00                     | 0.00                      |
| 21         | Raiasthan         | 1025                                    | 5,764                                   | 243.59                   | 299.00                   | 119.43                   | 449.90                    |
| 22         | Sikkim            | 15                                      | 0.066                                   | 1.40                     | 0.00                     | 2.13                     | 0.00                      |
| 23         | Tamil Nadu        | 270                                     | 1.368                                   | 82.75                    | 90.59                    | 0.00                     | 0.00                      |
| 24  ­  ¤ | Telangana         | 330                                     | 1.399                                   | 51,14                    | 81.93                    | 33.50                    | 60.34                     |
|  Ò  Ú    | Tripura           | 65                                      | 0.213                                   | 16.66                    | 15.89                    | 10.75                    | 11.74                     |
| 26         | Uttarakhand       | 65                                      | 0.346                                   | 9,97                     | 6.98                     | 0.00                     | 0.00                      |
| 27         | Uttar Pradesh     | 612                                     | 3.045                                   | 63.93                    | 0.00                     | 0.00                     | 0.00                      |
| 28         | West Bengal       | 163                                     | 0.693                                   | 15.48                    | 46.39                    | 92.87                    | 0.00                      |
|            | Total             | 8214                                    | 39.07                                   | 1691.81                  | 1780.55                  | 1472.33                  | 889.77                    |

Note: There is no sanctioned  project  in Goa.

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred  euestion  No. 4569 for answer on 23.03.2021

State-wise  details  ol'number  of funds released and Approved Advance  work area under  National Afforestation Programme  (NAP)

(Area  in ha &Rs. in crore)

|  k  @  n ︒  r  m   | State             | Amount Released   | Amount Released   | Amount Released   | Amount Released   | Approved Advance Work Area   | Approved Advance Work Area   | Approved Advance Work Area   | Approved Advance Work Area   |
|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|
|  k  @  n ︒  r  m   | State             | 2017… 18          | 2018-19           | 2019-20           | 2020-21           | 2017… 18                     | 2018- 19                     | 2019-20                      | 2020-21                      |
| 1                       | Andhra Pradesh    | 3.36              | 6.38              |                   |                   | 1487                         | 1480                         |                              |                              |
| 2                       | Arunachal Pradesh | 0.86              |                   |                   |                   | 1010                         |                              |                              |                              |
| 3                       | Assam             |                   | 0.58              |                   |                   |                              | 373                          |                              |                              |
| 4                       | Bihar             | 4.23              |                   | 1.18              | 0.80              | 2450                         | 1550                         | 1935                         |                              |
| 5                       | Chhattisgarh      | 10.86             | 7.82              | 5。 71             | 9.88              | 2983                         | 2000                         | 3500                         |                              |
| 6                       | Goa               |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 7                       | Gujarat           |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 8                       | Haryana           | 2.71              |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 9                       | Himachal Pradesh  | 1.73              | 2.92              | 0.52              | 0.57              | 2139                         |                              | 45                           |                              |
| 10                      | Jammu & Kashmir   | 7.20              |                   |                   |                   | 2128                         |                              |                              |                              |
|                         | Jharkhand         |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 12                      | Kamataka          | 3.24              | 10.99             |                   |                   | 2095                         | 6085                         |                              |                              |
| 13                      | Kerala            |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 14                      | Madhya Pradesh    | 8.74              | 7.78              |                   | 0.57              | 5255                         |                              |                              |                              |
|  Ì  Ò                 | Maharashtra       | 6.73              | 15.33             |                   |                   | 4150                         |                              |                              |                              |
| 16                      | Manipur           | 3.20              | 4.38              |                   |                   | 1733                         |                              |                              |                              |
| 17                      | Meghalaya         |  ­  Ò  È  Ò   | 0.74              |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 18                      | Mizoram           | 5。 80             | 7.79              |                   | 7.40              | 1750                         | 1960                         |                              |                              |
| 19                      | Nagaland          | 5.85              | 6.41              | 2.35              | 4.27              | 2085                         |                              | 6100                         |                              |
| 20                      | Odisha            | 3.49              | 11.36             | 8.45              | 13.67             | 4565                         | 3188                         | 6335                         |                              |
| 21                      | Punjab            |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 22                      | Rajasthan         | 1.40              | 1.95              |                   |                   | 1400                         |                              |                              | 750                          |
| 23                      | Sikkirn           |                   | 5,98              |                   | 0.88              |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 24                      | Tamil Nadu        |                   | 2.07              |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 25                      | Telangana         |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 26                      | Tripura           | 4.94              |                   | 3.76              | 1.33              |  ­  Ò  n  Â  O  O      |                              | 1809                         |                              |
| 27                      | Uttar Pradesh     | 0.67              | 0.32              |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| 28                      | Uttarakhand       | 3.36              | 2.58              |                   | 1.06              | 2782                         |                              |                              |                              |
| 29                      | West Bengal       |                   |                   |                   |                   |                              |                              |                              |                              |
|                         | Total             | 80.02             | 95。 38            | 21。 97            | 40。 43            | 39847                        | 16636                        | 19724                        | 750                          |

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Source:  National Afforestation  &