Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
for the high share of poverty in rural population. The agricultural economy that
grew at an average rate of 3.7 per cent per year during 2007-2012, is projected
to grow annually at 4.0 per cent during 2012-2017, with growth in national GDP
estimated at 8 per cent. However, it must be remembered that the GDP estimates
do not take into account the costs of environmental degradation. According to Mr.
Y.C.Deveshwar,the Chairman of ITC LTD, agriculture consumes around (90 %) of
the country’s renewable fresh water, a fifth of total electricity, and significant part
of government subsidies.Yet, this sector contributes less than 15 % to GDP. It is
therefore; not surprising that farmer’s percapita income is less than one-fifth of
country’s average (The Hindu, 2017).
Further, agriculture places considerable load on environment in the process
of production of goods and services. Further, India is predominantly small
farm agriculture. According to 2010-11 Agriculture Census, the total number of
operational holdings was 138.35 million with average size of 1.15 ha. Of the total
holdings, 85 per cent are in marginal and small farm categories of less than 2
ha (GOI, 2014). These small farms, though operating only on 44 per cent of land
under cultivation, are the main providers of food and nutritional security to the
nation, but have limited access to technology, inputs, credit, capital and markets.
Climate change presents a major risk to longterm food security as it may have
multidimensional debilitating effects on agriculture. The climatic impacts could
lead to a dramatic scarcity of freshwater in the northern and peninsular regions of
the country, fuelling the existing internal or interstate conflicts and heightening
the competition among different users. Increasing seawater acidity and rising
river water temperature will affect fish breeding, migration and harvest.
Irrigated wheat and maize yields may decline by 5-10 per cent by 2050. Rain-fed
agriculture, which covers 60 per cent of all the cultivated land in India, will be
particularly hard hit. It would require technological innovations to make them
adapt to climate extremes.
Declining/degrading land resource is another concern. India is a land-scarce
country with only 0.13 ha land/cap (in 2010-11), which stands to get reduced to
0.09 ha/cap by 2050, simply due to increase in population. Further, land is getting
polluted with toxic waste waters and there is a large-scale degradation due to
Annexures
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