INDIA HIKES SOIL RESEARCH
BUDGET BY 30% TO COMBAT
DESERTIFICATION
Emphasising that the Modi
Government is committed to
achieve Land Degradation
Neutrality by the year 2030,
Environment Minister Dr Harsh
Vardhan has said that India’s
new National Action Programme
(NAP) will be finalised after a
series of regional consultations
and workshops with all relevant
stakeholders, keeping in mind
our national circumstances and
development priorities.
In a
statement
on the eve of
World Day
to Combat
Desertification, the Minister said
that India is focusing on sustainable
land and resource management for
livelihood generation at community
level for making the local lands
healthier and productive for
providing a better homeland
and a better future to its
inhabitants.
such steps we must keep in mind
the unique conditions of these
areas, which are the gift of nature
and therefore, we should promote
natural farming in those areas.
Simultaneously, new varieties of
coarse grains, pulses, oilseeds,
fruits, flowers, vegetables are to be
propagated in these areas besides
the introduction of integrated
farming, new techniques of rain-
fed agriculture, appropriate
technologies for water conservation
along with new techniques for
irrigation, agriculture equipment
and line sowing. Special attention
shall be given to area-specific
integrated farming modules.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said that
various schemes have been
drawn up to showcase India’s
efforts to mitigate concerns over
desertification, land degradation
and drought problems. He
pointed out that Government
schemes like ‘Rashtriya Krishi Vikas
Yojana’ (Ministry of Agriculture)
have witnessed a surge in allotment
of funds, with Rs 4750 crore being
released in 2016-17, as compared
to Rs 3707 crore in 2015-16. “With
the rallying call for ‘More Crop Per
Drop’ the Government has further
strengthened the ‘Pradhan Mantri
Krishi Sinchayee Yojana’ (Ministry
of Water Resources) by increasing
budget allocation for the years
2014-17 by approximately 22% at
BIOVOICENEWS.COM
63