‘Restoring 26 million hectares…’: PM Modi speaks on land degradation at UN

• PM Modi spoke on land degradation at a high-level UN dialogue on June 14. PM Modi said that India is assisting developing countries to develop land-restoration strategies. “Restoration of land can start a virtual cycle for good soil health. We have taken up some novel approaches in many parts of India. Banni region in Rann of Kutch suffers from very little rainfall. In that region, land restoration is done by developing grasslands. We need to devise effective strategies for land restoration. Land degradation poses a special challenge to the developing world. India is assisting developing countries to develop land restoration strategies,” he said. The PM added, “In India, we always have the importance to land and consider earth as our mother. India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international forums. In India, over the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. We are on track to achieve our national commitment of land degradation neutrality. India is working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.”