Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing close to 200 countries at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's (UNCCD) ongoing Conference of Parties (COP14) in New Delhi said that India has revised it's land restoration targets to an upward of 26 million hectares from the previously set target of 21 million hectares.
"The targets to restore degraded land will be achieved by 2030. This will create a carbon sink for India of close to three billion metric tonnes through additional tree cover," Modi said.
Modi also claimed that between 2015 to 2017, India's tree cover had been increased by 0.8 million hectares.
He said that according to the law, land diverted for industrial purposes has to be compensated by an adequate amount of land being afforested. "Also, monetary payment has to be made for the value of timber that the diverted land may yield. Only last week, close to ₹40,000 - ₹50,000 crore was released to provincial governments in lieu of diversion of forest land," he said.
Modi said that desertification of land affects two-thirds of the entire world and greater South-South co-operation is important in this regard. "India also looks forward to making an effective contribution to take over co-presidency for a term of two years in this regard," the said.
He said that up to 27 lakh soil health cards had been distributed to the farmers to help them ascertain the quality of their soil which will lead to informed decisions on what crops they can produce.
Modi emphasized on the menace of plastic waste and said that the government was committed to ending single-use plastic. "We are conmitted committed to environment-friendly substitutes and effective plastic collection and dispensable methods," he said.