What are Wastelands ?
Degraded land which can be brought under vegetative cover, with reasonable effort, and which is currently under utilised and land which is deteriorating for lack of appropriate water and soil management or on account of natural causes. The programme does not focus solely on uncultivable wastelands because such lands are: • Too degraded to recoupe in isolation • Cost of treatment is very expensive and economical • Such lands are too remote from the village through protection of vegetative measures and participation of local people is not possible Categories of Wastelands in India Category Area (in sq.Kms.) Snow Covered/Glacial 55788.49 Barren Rocky/Sheet Rock 64584.77 Sands-inland/coastal 50021.65 Land affected by salinity/alkalinity 20477.38 Gullied/or ravinous land 20553.35 Upland with or without scrub 194014.29 Water logged & Marshy 16568.45 Steep sloping area 7656.29 Shifting cultivation land 35142.20 Mining/Industrial Wastelands 1252.13 Degraded/pastures/grazing land 25978.91 Under
