'Land degradation threatens societies, economies': PM at UN meet

NEW DELHI: Land degradation, if left unchecked, will erode foundations of our societies, economies, food security and health, PM Modi said.
In his virtual address at a UN high-level meet on desertification, land degradation and drought, the Prime Minister stressed on the need to reduce pressure on land and its resources.
"In India, we have always given importance to land and consider sacred earth as our mother," Modi said, adding that the country has increased its forest cover by around three million hectares over the last 10 years.
"We are working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This will contribute to India's commitment to achieve additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent," PM Modi further said.
He reminded that it is mankind's collective responsibility to reverse damage to land caused by human activity.
He cited the example of Gujarat's arid Banni region, where land restoration is done by developing grasslands which help in achieving land degradation neutrality.
India is assisting other developing countries to formulate land restoration strategies. A Centre of Excellence is being set up in India to promote scientific approach towards land degradation issues, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Watch India on track to achieve land degradation neutrality: PM Modi