Lok Sabha Question No. 247 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-19
Subject: Unused Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Nalin Kumar Kateel, D.K. Suresh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 247

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 19 TH JULY, 2022

## UNUSED LAND

## 247. SHRI NALIN KUMAR KATEEL: SHRI D.K.SURESH:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षएवंकसानकयाणमंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that there is a large extent of unused land in the country;
- (b) if so, the details of the extent of unused land, State-wise and district-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any study to know how unused land could be utilized to double the farmers income; and
- (d) if so, the details about it and the response of the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षएवंकसानकयाणमंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) to (d): As per Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, land comes under the purview of State Government. Therefore, the State Governments are to take suitable steps for utilisation of land. However, 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 developmental 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. Acquisition of irrigated, multi-cropped agricultural land for non-agricultural uses may be kept to the minimum and avoided, to the extent possible.

Further, information on Unused Land is not centrally maintained.However,  As per the  Land Use Statistics, the state wise details of Culturable waste Land and Fallow land (Current  Fallows+  Fallow  Lands  other  than  Current  Fallows)for  the  year  2018-19  latest available  are  given  in  the Annexure .  The  latest  district  wise  details  of  Culturable  waste Land,  Current  Fallows  and  Fallow  Lands  other  than  Current  Fallows  are  available  at https://aps.dac.gov.in/LUS/Public/Reports.aspx.

## Annexure Annexure referred in reply to part (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 247 due for answer on 19/07/2022

## Details of Culturable Waste Land and Fallow land for the year 2018-19 (in thousand hectare)

| STATES/UTs        | Culturable waste   | Fallow land                             | Fallow land     |
|-------------------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------|
| STATES/UTs        | land               | Fallow lands other than current fallows | Current fallows |
| ANDHRA PRADESH    | 412                | 936                                     | 1446            |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 61                 | 61                                      | 33              |
| ASSAM             | 160                | 92                                      | 108             |
| BIHAR             | 44                 | 118                                     | 995             |
| CHHATTISGARH      | 366                | 256                                     | 266             |
| GOA               | 53                 |                                         | 16              |
| GUJARAT           | 1960               | 16                                      | 379             |
| HARYANA           | 54                 | 35                                      | 105             |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH  | 120                | 19                                      | 65              |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR   | 158                | 36                                      | 121             |
| JHARKHAND         | 380                | 1086                                    | 1427            |
| KARNATAKA         | 403                | 571                                     | 940             |
| KERALA            | 96                 | 46                                      | 57              |
| MADHYA PRADESH    | 934                | 467                                     | 493             |
| MAHARASHTRA       | 924                | 1260                                    | 1448            |
| MANIPUR           | 1                  | 0                                       | 0               |
| MEGHALAYA         | 381                | 153                                     | 57              |
| MIZORAM           | 7                  | 127                                     | 47              |
| NAGALAND          | 62                 | 111                                     | 49              |
| ODISHA            | 591                | 738                                     | 1089            |
| PUNJAB            | 12                 | 6                                       | 86              |
| RAJASTHAN         | 3784               | 2106                                    | 1789            |
| SIKKIM            | 4                  | 5                                       | 7               |
| TAMIL NADU        | 323                | 1931                                    | 1047            |
| TELANGANA         | 179                | 751                                     | 1064            |
| TRIPURA           | 3                  | 1                                       | 1               |
| UTTARAKHAND       | 328                | 89                                      | 88              |
| UTTAR PRADESH     | 388                | 594                                     | 987             |
| WEST BENGAL       | 13                 | 6                                       | 301             |
| A&N ISLAND        | 3                  | 3                                       | 3               |
| CHANDIGARH        |                    | 0                                       | 0               |
| D & N HAVELI      | 0                  | 0                                       | 0               |
| DAMAN & DIU       | 0                  | 0                                       | 0               |
| DELHI             | 10                 | 8                                       | 12              |
| LAKSHADWEEP       |                    |                                         |                 |
| PUDUCHERRY        | 5                  | 3                                       | 4               |
| ALL INDIA         | 12219              | 11633                                   | 14531           |

Note 1: Culturable Waste Land includes land available for cultivation, whether taken up or not taken  up  for  cultivation  once,  but  not  cultivated  during  the  last  five  years  or  more  in succession including the current year for some reason or the other . Such land may be either fallow or covered with shrubs and jungles which are not put to any use. Fallow Lands other than Current Fallows includes all land which was taken up for cultivation but is temporarily out of cultivation for a period of not less than one year and not more than five years. Current Fallows represents cropped area which is kept fallow during the current year. Note 2: '0' means area is less than 500 hectares and blank space denotes not available or no reporting of data from the States/UTs Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare

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