Lok Sabha Question No. 2765 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-06
Subject: Desert Land
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: RAMSINH PATALYABHAI RATHWA

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT  OF LAND RESOURCES

## LOKSABHA TJNSTARRED QUESTION No. 276s TO BE AIISWERED  ON 06.08.2015

## Desert  land

2765. Shri Ramsinh  Rathwa :

Will the Minister  of RURAL  DEVELOPMENT  be pleased to state:

- (a)  The total desert area along with the percentage of population  density therein  in the country, State-wise;
- (c)  Ifso, the details  thereof;  and
- (b)  Whether  any scheme has been introduced/  proposed  to be introduced  for development of desert land;
- (d)  Ifnot, the reason  therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE  FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI SUDARST{AN  BHAGAT)

(a)  to (d) The details of the total  desert area along with the population  density  State-wise as provided by the Registrar  General of lndia & Census Commissioner  are at Annexure.  These desert  districts were identified on the recommendations of the "Hanumantha  Rao committee Report - Report ofthe Technical  Committee  on Drought  prone  Areas  programme  and Desert Development  Programme (April 1994)". The Department  of Land Resources  had implemented  a scheme called the Desert  Development  programme  (DDp) on watershed  basis between  1995-96 to 2006-07 in 40 districts of seven States.  15746 projects  covering  an area of 45.7949 million hectare  had been taken up under DDp. The DDp alongwith the Drought Prone Areas Programme  (DPAP) and the Integrated Watershed Development  programme (IWDP) were integrated  into a single  modified  programme  calted the Integated watershed Management Programme (IWMP)  with effect from 26.02.2009.  one of the criteria which have been adopted  for the allocation  ofarea among  the States  is "identified  DDp/DpAp  areas in the State  as percentage  of total DPAP  and DDP  area  in the country,,.  The objectives  of IWMP include hamessing,  conserving  and developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative  cover and waterl prevention  of soil run-off; rain water harvesting  and recharging of the ground water table;  increasing the productivity  of crops; introduciion  of multi-cropping  and diverse  agro-based  activities;  promoting  sustainabie livelihoods and increasing the household incomes.

From 2015-16, the IWMP is amalgamated  as the Watershed  component of the Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi Sinchai  yojana  (pMKSy).

Annexure  reffered  in part (a) to (d) ofLok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.2765 Annexure

for on 06.08.2015

|         | DESERT DEVELOPMEN T PROGRAMME (DDP)   | DESERT DEVELOPMEN T PROGRAMME (DDP)   | DESERT DEVELOPMEN T PROGRAMME (DDP)   | DESERT DEVELOPMEN T PROGRAMME (DDP)   | DESERT DEVELOPMEN T PROGRAMME (DDP)   |
|---------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
|         | State                                 | State-wise District                   | Districts Area in Sq Km               | of DDP Population                     | Density per Sq Km                     |
| S.No. 1 | Andhra Pradesh                        | Anantapur                             | '191 30                               | 408'1148                              | 213                                   |
| 2       | Gujarat                               | Banaskantha                           | 10743                                 | 3120506                               | 290                                   |
| J       |                                       | Jamnagar                              | 14184                                 | 2160119                               | 152                                   |
| 4       |                                       | Kutch                                 | 45674                                 | 2092371                               | 40                                    |
| 5       |                                       | Patan                                 | 5792                                  | 1343734                               | 232                                   |
| o       |                                       | Rajkot                                | 11198                                 | 3804558                               | 340                                   |
| 7       |                                       | Surendranagar                         | 10423                                 | 1756268                               | 168                                   |
| 8       | Haryana                               | Bhiwani                               | 4778                                  | 1634445                               | 342                                   |
| I       |                                       | Fatehabad                             | 2538                                  | 942011                                | 371                                   |
| 10      |                                       | Hissar                                | 3983                                  | 17 43931                              | 438                                   |
| 11      |                                       | Jha,jar                               | 1834                                  | 958405                                | 523                                   |
| 12      |                                       | Mahendragarh                          | 1899                                  | 922088                                | 486                                   |
|         |                                       | Rewari                                | 1594                                  | 900332                                | 565                                   |
| 14      |                                       | Sirsa                                 | 4277                                  | 1295'189                              | 303                                   |
| '15     | Himachal Pradesh                      | Kinnaur                               | 6401                                  | 84121                                 | '13                                   |
| 16      |                                       | Lahul & Spiti                         | 13841                                 | 31564                                 | 2                                     |
| 17      | Jammu & Kashmir                       | Kargil                                | 14036                                 | 140802                                | 10                                    |
| 18      |                                       | Leh                                   | 45110                                 | 133487                                | 3                                     |
| 19      | Karnataka                             | Bagalkot                              | 6552                                  | 1889752                               | 288                                   |
| 20      |                                       | Bellary                               | 8461                                  | 2452595                               | 290                                   |
| 21      |                                       | Bijapur                               | 10498                                 | 2177331                               | 207                                   |
|         |                                       | Davangere                             | 5924                                  | 1945497                               | 328                                   |
|         |                                       | Koppal                                | 5570                                  | 1389920                               | 250                                   |
| 24      |                                       | Raichur                               | 8442                                  | 19288't2                              | 228                                   |
| 25      | Rajasthan                             | Ajmer                                 | 8481                                  |                                       |                                       |
| 26      |                                       | Barmer                                | 28387                                 | 26037 51                              | 92                                    |
| 27      |                                       | Bikaner                               | 30239                                 | ZSOJJSI                               | 78                                    |
| 28      |                                       | Churu                                 | 13835                                 | 2039547                               | 147                                   |
| 29      |                                       | Hanumangarh                           | 9656                                  | 1774692                               | 184                                   |
| 30      |                                       | Jaipur                                | 11 143                                | 6626178                               | 595                                   |
| JI      |                                       | Jaisalmer                             | 38401                                 | 669919                                | 17                                    |
|         |                                       | Jalore                                | 10640                                 | 1828730                               | 172                                   |
| 33      |                                       | Jhunjhunu                             | 5928                                  | 2137045                               | 361                                   |
| 34      |                                       | Jodhpur                               | 22850                                 | 3687165                               | 16'l                                  |
| 35      |                                       | Nagaur                                | 17718                                 | 3307743                               | 187                                   |
| 36      |                                       | Pali                                  | 12387                                 | 2037573                               | 164                                   |
| 3t      |                                       | Rajasamand                            | 4655                                  | 1 156597                              | 248                                   |
| 38      |                                       | Sikar                                 | 77 32                                 | 2677333                               | 346                                   |
| 39      |                                       | Sirohi                                | ctJtl                                 | 1036346                               | 202                                   |
| 40      |                                       | Udaipur                               | 1',t724                               | 3068420                               | 262                                   |
|         |                                       | Total                                 | 50't 794                              | 78527014                              | 156                                   |