Lok Sabha Question No. 102 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-02
Subject: Loss of Cultivable Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Vijay Kumar Dubey, Rebati Tripura

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.102

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND  FEBRUARY, 2021

## LOSS OF CULTIVABLE LAND

102.   SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY: SHRI REBATI TRIPURA:

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

- (a) the details and extent of permanent loss of cultivable land area of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura during the last decade by way of erosion, unfertile silt deposition and diversion of river channel;
- (b) whether  any  assessment  has  been  made  by  the  Union  Government  to  ascertain  the extent of such annual loss and damages, and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps taken being taken by the Government to check such loss of cultivable land in UP and Tripura?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी ( SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a): As per the latest data available on Land Use Statistics, details of cultivable land area of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura during the last decade is at Annexure .
- (b) & (c): As  per  harmonized  database  of  National  Academy  of  Agricultural  Sciences (NAAS 2010), the extent of soil erosion (soil loss more than 10 tonnes/ha/yr) in Uttar Pradesh and Tripura is 13075 and 109 thousand hectares, respectively.
- (d): 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 control / restrict the loss  of  agricultural  land.  However,  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of  States, through appropriate policy measures.

In order to check decline in the cultivable area in the country, 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 nonagricultural 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 and acquisition of irrigated, multi-cropped agricultural land for non-agricultural uses may be kept to the minimum and avoided, to the extent possible.

Further,  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  is  implementing  an  Integrated  Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) for development of rainfed/ degraded areas. From 2015-16, the  IWMP  has  been  converted  as  the  Watershed  Component  of  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY).    Department  of  Land  Resources  (DoLR)  has  sanctioned watershed development projects in 28 States (except Goa) [now 27 States and UTs of J & K and Ladakh], during the period 2009-10 to 2014-15 covering an area of about 39.07 million hectare  under    Integrated  Watershed  Management  Programme  (IWMP)  including  Uttar Pradesh & Tripura. IWMP was amalgamated as the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) in 2015-16. No further watershed development project  has been  sanctioned from 2015-16  onwards.  The  activities  undertaken inter alia include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, afforestation, horticulture, pasture development, livelihoods for assetless persons, etc. Since 2009-10, an amount of Rs.19690.82 Cr. has been released as Central share to the States (as on 27.01.2021). As per information received from the States, since 2014-15 to 2020-21 (upto Q 3), 7.09 lakh water harvesting structures have been  created  /  rejuvenated.  An  additional  area  of  15.17  lakh  ha  has  been  brought  under protective irrigation. The number of farmers benefited is 32.42 lakh during the said period.

Government of India is also 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 type of land including waste land / barren land are developed with suitable need based soil and water conservation measures and partly such degraded lands developed are put to agricultural uses.

In  order  to  bring  waste/degraded  land  into  cultivation,  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural Research  (ICAR)  has  developed  location  specific  bio-engineering  soil  &  water  conservation measures, land management techniques and agro-forestry interventions to reclaim degraded land  and  bring  it  under  cultivation.   The  ICAR  also  imparts  training,  organises  Front  Line Demonstrations (FLDs) etc. to educate farmers on all these aspects.

## Details of Cultivable Land Area of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura

(Thousand Hectares)

| Year    |   Uttar Pradesh |   Tripura |
|---------|-----------------|-----------|
| 2007-08 |           19179 |       279 |
| 2008-09 |           19166 |       278 |
| 2009-10 |           19148 |       277 |
| 2010-11 |           19126 |       276 |
| 2011-12 |           19099 |       275 |
| 2012-13 |           19075 |       274 |
| 2013-14 |           18955 |       273 |
| 2014-15 |           18939 |       272 |
| 2015-16 |           18863 |       272 |
| 2016-17 |           18848 |       271 |

Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare.

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## Annexure