Match the LIST-I with LIST-II
| LIST-I (Land Use Changes in India, 1950-51 to 2019-20) | LIST-II (Reason) | ||
| A. | The rate of increase is the highest under areas under non-agricultural uses. | I. | This can be attributed to the increasing pressure on the land due to an increasing population. |
| B. | An increase is recorded in areas under forest cover. | II. | It is due to the use of culturable wasteland for agricultural purposes. |
| C. | There is a decline registered in areas under barren and wasteland. | III. | This is due to the changing structure of Indian economy which is increasingly depending on contributions from industrial and service sectors. |
| D. | There is an increase recorded under the category of Net Sown Area. | IV. | This can be accounted for by an increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest cover. |
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A - III, B - IV, C - I, D - II
A. The rate of increase is the highest under areas under non-agricultural uses. — this matches III. This is due to the changing structure of Indian economy which is increasingly depending on contributions from industrial and service sectors. As industry and services grow, land is needed for factories, offices, roads and other infrastructure, and towns and villages spread out. This land comes out of wastelands and farmland, so non-agricultural uses grow the fastest.
B. An increase is recorded in areas under forest cover. — this matches IV. This can be accounted for by an increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest cover. More land has been marked on record as forest, so the figure rises on paper even where no new trees have grown.
C. There is a decline registered in areas under barren and wasteland. — this matches I. This can be attributed to the increasing pressure on the land due to an increasing population. A growing population needs more food, homes and work, so it presses on every bit of land. Under this pressure, barren and waste land is brought into use for farming and building, and its area declines.
D. There is an increase recorded under the category of Net Sown Area. — this matches II. It is due to the use of culturable wasteland for agricultural purposes. Land that could be cultivated but lay unused is put under the plough, so the area sown goes up.
NCERT (2025-26): “Land-use Changes in India … The rate of increase is the highest in case of area under non-agricultural uses. This is due to the changing structure of Indian economy, which is increasingly depending on the contribution from industrial and services sectors and expansion of related infrastructural facilities. Also, an expansion of area under both urban and rural settlements has added to the increase. Thus, the area under non-agricultural uses is increasing at the expense of wastelands and agricultural land.… …The increase in the share under forest, as explained before, can be accounted for by increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest cover in the country.… …The increase in net area sown is a recent phenomenon due to use of culturable waste land for agricultural pupose. Before which it was registering a slow decrease.… …The four categories that have registered a decline are barren and wasteland, culturable wasteland, area under tree crops and groves and fallow lands. The following explanations can be given for the declining trends: (i) As the pressure on land increased, both from the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, the wastelands and culturable wastelands have witnessed decline over time.…” |