Forests and Land Use in India

India of to-day has still a long way to go to accept forestry aa a positive form of land utilisation. Diversion of forest lands to other uses is still considered in this country as 'reclamation'. The paper deals with the neccesity of defining a land utilisation policy in India, as merely a National Forest Policy or an Agricultural Policy cannot sufficiently cope with the magnitude of the problem of land, food and rural employment in the country. Published statistics have been presented and conditions in India and a few countries in the world have been critically examined on the basis of exioting state, i.e., the present situation in respect of land-use pattern and the current trend is the countries about adjustment of land under different uses. One point has been definitely established that the percentage of land under forestry in any country is due only to the attitude of mind of the populace and not to any other factor. Even though more populous and more industrially developed, Japan and West Germany could not, otherwise, have more land under forestry. The statistics shows that in spite of high population density, India is quite favourably placed with regard to per caput land under permanent agriculture compared to some of the diddluent countries, like U.K., Japan, New Zealand or West Germany. And yet in 1967-68 alone, over 6 million hectares of tree lands and other lands were Diverted to 'croplands'. There is perhaps no need to sustain the myth that India needs more land to be brought under agriculture to solve its food problem. Given the effective use of modern technology, it is possible to peg down agriculture and forestry lands at the present level. Reversal of trend may come with more development. Agriculture has become so much a way of life in India that a quick palliative in agrarian malaise is being sought by bringing more and more land under plough, and then sustaining this 'sick' section of population with opiates of gratuitous and test relief. Possibly the lack of a powerful political support has led forestry back to the wall in India. The Pearson Commission has commented that India's planning is getting more and more sophisticated. But when such planning for targets of land under agriculture or under irrigation is done on paper without any regard to local conditions of land or its pattern, distortion is bound to come in the presentation of rural problems. In the author's opinion, a realistic view of the competing demands of land can be taken only when a nation is clear about its ultimate goal of land utilisation. The practical problem is formidable, but basic too, and an uncommon political sagacity is needed now to set things in their true perspective.