The Wasteland Atlas 2019

Subject: Environment

It was published by the Ministry of Rural Development, in collaboration with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Department of Space.
The total wasteland in the country is 5,57,665.51sq km.
Wasteland is defined not as desertified land, but land that not used for agriculture, commercial use or as forest land. For instance, it could use grasslands that are used by communities for grazing.

Findings

A reduction in the wasteland area was observed in the categories of land with dense scrub, marshy land, sandy areas, and degraded pastures.
The wastelands have undergone a positive change in the states of Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal.
The majority of wastelands have been changed into categories of croplands, plantation and industrial areas.

Steps taken

The Supreme Court in the Godhvarman case post 1996 ordered for bringing under purview of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 those forests which fall under the dictionary meaning of ‘forests’ irrespective of the legal category. They had also instructed the Environment Ministry to clarify the definition and the categories, including which are deemed forests
The MoEF in June had signed a joint communication with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 to ensure the grant and protection of rights of tribal people in the country.