EXPLAIN THE LAND UTILISATION PATTERN OF INDIA.
Answers
QUESTION:-
Explain the land use pattern in India.
ANSWER:-
About 45% of land is used as net sown area, i.e. for farming.
About 22% of the land is under forest and the rest of the land is used for various purposes like housing, recreation and industrial activities.
Increasing population and subsequent increase in demand for resources is the main reason that forested land has not increased much during this period.
Land resources in India are primarily divided into agricultural land, forest land, land meant for pasture and grazing, land for other non-agricultural use(such as housing, roads and industry) and waste land (rocky, arid and desert areas). In 2002-03, 54 per cent of the total land area was cultivable or fallow, 22.5 per cent was covered by forests and 3.5 per cent was used for grazing. The rest was waste land, with traces of miscellaneous cultivation.
Improper use of forest land has degraded the available land area and made conservation of forests difficult. Human activities such as deforestation, mining and quarrying have contributed to the forest has increased by only about 4 per cent since 1960-1961.