(a) whether the Government has made any achievement towards restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded land and achieve land degradation neutrality, which is to be achieved finally till 2030, as per pledge made to UN Conference on combating Desertification;
(b) if so, the details of steps taken/proposed to be taken; and
(c) if not the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) to (c)
.
The commitment for the restoration of degraded land of 26 million hectares includes 21 million hectares of Bonn challenge Pledge made during 2015 in Parisand 5 million hectares of commitment made during the fourteenth session of conference of parties of United Nations Convention to combat Desertification, held in India.
The Government has launched several schemes/programmes which include inter -alia the National Afforestation Program, Green India Mission, Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi SinchayeeYojna (PMKSY) which contribute to achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality.
National Mission for a Green India (GIM) aims at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to Climate Change by means of plantation activities in forest and non-forest areas.
National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) is implementing National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for ecological restoration of degraded forests and adjoining areas through people''s participation by implementing as one of the measures to increase and improve forest area in the country.
Initiatives have been taken to check land degradation under the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS) supported projects viz community-based plantation towards land reclamation, land greening through afforestation and plantation towards watershed management.
Department of Agriculture Co-operation and Farmers’ Welfare is implementing the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme since 2016-17 to promote/encourage the agroforestry practices (tree plantation on farm land along with crops/ cropping system) to help the farmers get additional income and make their farming system more climate resilient and adaptive.
Department of Land Resources implements Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), with primary objective to develop rainfed and degraded lands. The activities undertaken, inter alia, include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, pasture development, livelihoods for assetless persons, etc. Watershed component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, through these interventions seeks to ensure sustainable development through improved natural resource management and better resilience of farmers to climate change.
Afforestation and tree plantation activities in the country are undertaken as a cross sectoral and multi-departmental activity under various schemes of different ministries and also through State plan budget. Every year targets for afforestation are fixed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in consultation with the States and achievements by states are monitored by MoEFCC and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation under Twenty Point Programme (TPP). The area of land covered through afforestation under the Twenty Point Program during the period 2016-2021 is approximately9.58 million hectares. The target fixed for the year 2021-22 is 2.69 million hectares.
Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change has constituted an inter-ministerial committee to co-ordinate, monitor and review the progress of ongoing schemes of land restoration.
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