India to rejuvenate 50 lakh hectares of land by 2030

India plans to rejuvenate 50 lakh hectares of degraded non-forest land so that such lands can be reused for cultivation as well as for planting trees, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced here on Tuesday.

The ministry set 2030 as the target year to finish the task that has the potential to create 75 lakh new jobs as every hectare could provide livelihood options to 1.5 persons, he said.

Environment ministry sources, however, told DH that the government was yet to identify the 50 lakh hectares of degraded lands, which could also include the buffer zone outside the forest area besides wasted farmlands. The road map to convert these lands into fertile zones is also not on the table.

The minister made the comments at a curtain-raiser press conference for the UN summit to combat desertification to be held in India between September 2-13. This is for the first time India would be hosting the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) summit.