National Herald | November 6, 2023
In 2019, the ministry of rural development published the latest edition of the Wasteland Atlas of India, which categorised approximately 17 per cent of India’s terrain as wastelands, that is, the land that appears barren or degraded. According to the ministry, these are areas that are not being utilised to their maximum potential, and can be repurposed for more ‘productive’ uses such as setting up industries, renewable energy projects, or afforestation programmes.
