Govt committed to saving land from getting degraded: Javadekar

Acknowledging that 29.3 per cent of land in India was affected by degradation, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Monday said his ministry was committed to saving it with all necessary contributions in the matter and shall lead by example in combating the crisis.

He also announced that India will host the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties or COP 14 to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September to address the issues of land degradation and desertification.

At an event held to mark 'World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought', Javadekar said, "There is crisis in the world that the land, once fertile, is not fertile anymore. Where there used to be forest, now it is not. We are discussing degradation of land. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have direction, hope and promise to save the land from degradation."