Lok Sabha Question No. 1633 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-30
Subject: Barren Land
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: K. ASHOK KUMAR, KAMLA DEVI PATLE

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1633 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2015

## BARREN LAND

## 1633, SHRI K ASHOK KUMAR: SHRIMATI KAMLA DEVI PAATLI:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of barren land in the country, State/UT-wise;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the details of land made cultivable during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has taken steps t0 make such land fertile;
- (d) whether the land becomes barren after work in various mi areas; and mining ining
- (e) if sO, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to check the scheme?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI BIRENDER SINGH)

(a) to c): As per the information of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, the extent of barren and unculturable land in the country is 17284 thousand hectare The State/UT - wise details are given in Annexure: As the Barren & Unculturable land includes all land covered by mountains, deserts etc\_ which cannot be   brought under   cultivation except at an exorbitant cost; there is no scheme/programme exclusively to covert barren land into cultivable land.

However; the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development had been implementing an area development programme namely the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (TWMP) with effect from 2009-10 for development of rainfed/degraded areas including wastelands in the country\_ conservation, rain water harvesting; nursery raising; afforestation, horticulture, pasture development; livelihoods for  assetless persons. As on 31.03.2015, covering an area of 39.07 million ha and released Rs.11032.20 crore as Central Share under IWMP in all the States of the country except Goa. The erstwhile WMP has been amalgamated as watershed component of the new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) W.e.f: 2015-16.

(d) and (e): As per the information of Ministry of Mines, the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR), 1988 framed under section 18 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act; 1957, have provisions for restoration and rehabilitation of mining areas. As per rule 234 of MCDR, 1988, every mine shall have a progressive mine closure plan and a final mine closure plan. The 'progressive mine closure plan' means a progressive plan, for the purpose of providing protective, reclamation and rehabilitation measures in a mine. The   "final mine closure   plan means plan for the purpose of  decommissioning;  reclamation and rehabilitation in the mine Or part thereof after cessation of mining and mineral processing operations. per rule 23 (5) of MCDR, 1988,the leaseholder shall not abandon a mine unless a final mine closure plan is implemented. For this purpose, the lessee shall be required to obtain certificate from the Regional Controller of Mines of Indian Bureau of Mines (an attached office of the Ministry of Mines) or the officer authorized by the State Government in this behalf to the effect that protective, reclamation and rehabilitation work in accordance with the final mine closure plan have been carried out before abandonment of mine. As

Further, as per rule 23F (5) of MCDR, 1988, if the reclamation and rehabilitation measures as envisaged in the approved mine closure plan, in respect of which a financial assurance is given. have not been carried out in accordance with the mine closure plan, the financial assurance can be forfeited. The restoration and rehabilitation work of mining areas is a continuous process and details in this regard are not maintained centrally.

*****

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1633 due for reply on 30.07.2015

State/UT wise area of Barren & Unculturable land (thousand hectares\_

| SI: No.   | StatelUT                  | Area of Barren Unculturable land *   |
|-----------|---------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|           | Andhra Pradesh            | 1959                                 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh         | 38                                   |
| 3         | Assam                     | 1408                                 |
| 4         | Bihar                     | 432                                  |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh              | 290                                  |
| 6         | Delhi                     | 16                                   |
| 7         | Goa                       |                                      |
| 8         | Gujarat                   | 2552                                 |
| 9         | Haryana                   | 10 1                                 |
| 10        | Himachal Pradesh          | 779                                  |
| 11        | Jammu & Kashmir           | 306                                  |
| 12        | Jharkhand                 | 572                                  |
| 13        | Karnataka                 | 787                                  |
| 14        | Kerala                    | 16                                   |
| 15        | Madhya Pradesh            | 1387                                 |
| 16        | Maharashtra               | 1722                                 |
| 17        | Manipur                   |                                      |
| 18        | Meghalaya                 | 132                                  |
| 19        | Mizoram                   | 8                                    |
| 20        | Nagaland                  | 2                                    |
| 21        | Odisha                    | 104                                  |
| 22        | Punjab                    | 51                                   |
| 23        | Rajasthan                 |                                      |
| 24        | Sikkim                    |                                      |
| 25        | Tamil Nadu                | 489                                  |
|           | Tripura                   |                                      |
| 27        | Uttarakhand               | 228                                  |
| 28        | Uttar Pradesh             | 479                                  |
| 29        | West Bengal               | 13                                   |
| 30        | Andaman & Nikobar [slands | 2                                    |
| 31        | Chandigarh                |                                      |
| 32        | D&N Haveli                |                                      |
| 33        | Daman & Diu               |                                      |
| 34        | Lakshadweep               |                                      |
| 35        | Pondicherry               |                                      |
|           | Total                     | 17284                                |

Source: Directorate  of Economics Agriculture, Govt: of India; New Delhi)

Provisional

Note: 0 relates to the area below 500 hectares.