INDIA TALKIES – According to data available with DoLR, the area occupied by wastelands in the country was assessed at 63.85 million hectare in a project spanning five phases — between 1986 and 2000. A similar exercise in 2003 revealed that wastelands had shrunk by 8.21 million hectares. The latest Wasteland Atlas of India, based on mapping done in 2005-06 with satellite data, showed a further fall in wastelands, to 47.22 million hectares – a decrease of 8.41 million hectares. Read More
