i) The availability of resources, their effective utilisation, and the ability to mobilise additional resources fundamentally determine an economy’s capacity to resolve diverse challenges.
ii) The resource profile of the economy focuses on four key categories: natural, infrastructure, human, and financial resources.
iii) Natural resources traditionally encompass all materials and products that human labour combined with capital and entrepreneurship can extract from nature to generate goods and services.
iv) These natural resources are inherently dynamic and evolve with economic growth. While demand rises with development, it is crucial to avoid short-term overexploitation to ensure sustainable development.
v) A significant portion of India’s population relies on agriculture and other primary sectors that directly utilize natural resources. India’s diverse natural endowments form a robust foundation for a modern and diversified economy.
i) Compared to most underdeveloped countries, India possesses superior data on natural resource reserves, owing to its long-established resource survey agencies.
ii) Under the Five-Year Plans, mapping and survey activities have significantly expanded:
a) Established agencies like the Survey of India and the Geological Survey of India have broadened their operational scope.
b) New specialised agencies have been created to cover previously unaddressed tasks.
c) The Indian Bureau of Mines (founded in 1950) undertakes economic assessments of natural resources and formulates development strategies.
d) The Oil and Natural Gas Commission (established in the late 1950s) leads petroleum exploration and development, credited with major oil and gas finds in Assam, Gujarat, and Bombay High.
e) The Central Water and Power Commission (established 1945, now bifurcated) coordinates hydrological surveys and assessments of water resources.
f) The Soil Land Use Survey under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research conducts comprehensive soil surveys in partnership with State Agriculture Departments.
g) Numerous national laboratories and research institutes perform evaluations of natural resources to optimize their utilization.
h) The recent introduction of the Forest Survey and periodic State of Forest Report, supplemented by remote sensing and satellite imaging, provides critical data for policymakers.
iii) Experience during the Plans reveals an urgent need for:
a) Further expansion and acceleration of survey efforts.
b) Greater adoption of advanced survey and mapping technologies such as aerial photography, aero-magnetic surveys, and remote sensing.
c) More comprehensive economic valuation of natural resource assets.
d) Enhanced investigations into soil fertility and groundwater resources.
iv) Such improvements will facilitate:
a) Intensive use of chemical fertilisers and effective water management.
b) Successful deployment of high-yielding varieties and other intensive agricultural practices.
c) Accelerated survey and mapping through cutting-edge techniques.
d) Exploration of inaccessible regions and improved estimation of mineral and natural resource reserves.
i) India stretches 3,214 kms from north to south and 2,933 kms from east to west, encompassing a total land area of 32,87,782 sq.kms, a coastline measuring 7,516.5 kms, and including 1,197 islands.
ii) India ranks as the seventh largest landowner worldwide, following Russia, Canada, China, the U.S.A., Brazil, and Australia.
iii) India holds considerable strategic significance due to its geographic location, size, and abundant economic resources:
a) Located at the center of the Indian Ocean, India controls vital oceanic routes touching its coastal ports.
b) Major air routes connecting Europe, West Asia, Africa, East Asia, South-East Asia, and Japan pass through Indian airspace.
c) This confers India a significant advantage in international mobility of both people and goods.
i) The total available land area places definite limits on the horizontal expansion of land use amidst economic growth.
ii) With economic progress, demand for land increases, causing diversion from agricultural to non-agricultural uses such as industrial, construction, and commercial purposes.
iii) In a developing, labour-surplus, and agricultural crop-deficit economy like India, this diversion poses risks to agricultural supply and growth.
iv) Hence, developing inaccessible wastelands and unutilised lands for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes is critical.
v) Accurate statistics on land utilisation are essential for planning and policy formulation.
vi) Land utilisation in India (in million hectares)
a) Area under non-agricultural uses: 23.57
b) Barren and uncultivable land: 19.26
c) Net area sown: 141.10
d) Forest lands under good tree cover: 69.41
e) Miscellaneous tree crops and groves: 3.37
f) Cultivable wastelands: 13.66
g) Current fallows: 14.80
h) Old fallows: 10.19
i) Permanent pastures and grazing grounds: 10.90
Total*: 306.25
*Total geographical area for which land utilisation statistics are available.
vii) Broad classification of available land based on use:
a) Agricultural land
b) Non-agricultural land
viii) Agricultural Land comprises net sown area, current fallows, and land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves:
a) Agricultural land constitutes slightly more than 50% of India's total geographical area, the highest among large or medium-sized countries.
b) This is attributed to favourable physical factors such as extensive plains and plateaus, alongside a relatively small arid region (~15.8%).
c) Cultivation extends across a large share of cultivable land.
d) However, per capita arable land is low (0.14 hectares) compared to the world average (0.22) and much less than the U.S. (0.59).
e) Around 15% of the sown area is irrigated, predominantly multi-cropped, and irrigation provides security enabling intensive labour and input use for higher yields.
Note: Net sown area is estimated at 141 million hectares, while gross sown area is about 188 million hectares.
ix) Non-agricultural Land includes:
a) Land under forests
b) Permanent pastures and grazing grounds
c) Other non-agricultural uses such as towns, villages, roads, and railways
d) Cultivable wastelands, barren and uncultivated lands in mountain and desert areas
i) Two major changes in land utilisation over the past five decades include:
a) Reclamation of waste and fallow lands
b) Noticeable increase in the ‘area sown more than once’
ii) Rapid reclamation of waste and fallow lands occurred during the 1950s, facilitated by land reforms like the abolition of the Zamindari and Jagirdari systems.
iii) The dispossessed Zamindars reclaimed lands previously assigned to them for personal cultivation, while former tenants reclaimed lands to which they had acquired rights.
iv) This process was strongly supported by government loans and subsidies.
v) The ‘area sown more than once’ has also risen significantly in the last five decades, reflecting intensive agricultural practices.
vi) Considering that:
a) Demand for land in non-agricultural uses is increasing, and
b) Expanding net sown area may be challenging,
it is imperative to enhance agricultural technology to enable multiple cropping cycles—three to four crops a year—similar to practices in some other countries. The new agricultural strategy focuses on achieving this goal.
vii) Perspective: Since total land supply is fixed, effective land rationing among different uses is crucial:
a) Avoid further encroachments on cultivable land
b) Prioritise use of non-cultivable land for non-agricultural purposes
c) This approach conserves cultivable land for agriculture and supports balanced regional development
i) Aristotle described soil as the “stomach of the plant.” Even today, over 90% of the world’s food production depends on soil, with less than 10% coming from inland water and oceans.
ii) The cropping patterns in India are profoundly influenced by soil types and the physical environment.
iii) The Indian Council of Agricultural Research classifies soils into eight major groups:
a) Alluvial soils, including coastal and deltaic alluvium
b) Black soils of various types
c) Red soils, including red loams
d) Laterite and lateritic soils
e) Forest soils
f) Arid and desert soils
g) Saline and alkaline soils
h) Peaty and organic soils
iv) The first four groups (alluvial, black, red, and laterite soils) cover nearly the entire cultivated area in India.
v) Key characteristics of these soils include:
a) Alluvial soils: Ideal for growing cereals, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, sugarcane, and vegetables.
b) Black soils: Fertile and productive even with continuous cultivation; suited for cotton, cereals, oilseeds, vegetables, and citrus fruits.
c) Red soils: Support a wide variety of crops, especially rice, ragi, tobacco, and vegetables.
d) Laterite soils: Suitable for rice and sugarcane cultivation.
vi) India’s diverse soil types, coupled with varied rainfall zones and climate, allow the production of crops ranging from temperate to tropical varieties.
vii) Unfortunately, soil quality has deteriorated due to continuous usage; large areas are affected by erosion and degradation:
a) Approximately 106 million hectares are impacted by soil degradation.
b) Waterlogging and salinity are severe problems affecting 27% of irrigated land in India, 20% in Pakistan, and 15% in China.
viii) Despite prioritisation of soil conservation and land improvement in development plans, several challenges remain:
a) Effective management of community land
b) Insufficient infrastructural development
c) High investment demands and long gestation periods for projects
d) Limited access to institutional finance due to low creditworthiness of beneficiaries owning marginal and sub-marginal lands