India will achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030, promises environment minister Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi: Environment minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday that the government is committed to achieve land degradation neutrality (LDN) by 2030. In a statement issued in New Delhi on the eve of “World Day to Combat Desertification”, the minister said that India was focusing on sustainable land and resource management for livelihood generation at community level. [caption id=“attachment_1684743” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Harsh Vardhan. Firstpost[/caption] This, he said, would make local lands healthier and productive for providing a better homeland and a better future to its inhabitants. According a ministry statement, Harsh Vardhan said that combating desertification and land degradation was one of the thrust areas of his ministry, and added that the Narendra Modi government “is committed to achieve land degradation neutrality by the year 2030”. He said that the Ahmedabad centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation, along with 19 partner institutes, had been monitoring desertification in the country, using Indian Remote Sensing Satellite data. The minister also said that initiatives like the Soil Health Card Scheme had been launched by the government to help farmers improve productivity through judicious use of inputs. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the objective of land degradation neutrality is to maintain or even improve the amount of healthy and productive land resources over time and in line with national sustainable development priorities.