Compensating for lost agricultural land, UP govt to turn over 40k hectare of non arable land fertile

In an attempt to make up for lost agricultural land due to developmental infrastructure projects, the UP government is planning to turn 43,850 hectares of non arable land in the state into fertile land. The initiative will be backed by the survey of non-arable land in UP, which was conducted from June last year to identify land that can be either used or treated to be made fit for agriculture.

Funds of up to ₹113.06 crore have been allocated for this project which is also an attempt to support landless agricultural workers. In fact, low lying chunks of identified land will be allocated to agricultural laborers and marginal farmers as incentive for them to share the government's goal.

Furthermore, agricultural land which can not be treated, or is unfit for growing crops will be put to use for growing vegetables and nurseries, using various methodologies.

According to reports, the area of barren land in UP which will be made fit for agriculture will be more than that of the state capital Lucknow. Under the first phase of the project, non-arable land in Jhansi, Lalitpur, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar among others will be converted.