Question:

In which of the following categories of ‘land-use’ has India registered an increase?

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Ask which of the four categories the government actively tries to expand through a national policy, and which ones lose land as population and farming grow.
Updated On: Sep 15, 2026
  • Permanent pasture
  • Unsuitable for agriculture
  • Barren
  • Forest
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Concept:
  • Land use in India is recorded under fixed categories, and comparing the figures over time shows which of them has grown and which has shrunk.
  • Only one of the four categories in this question has actually expanded.

Step 1: Look at the forest category.
The area under forest has increased over the years, helped by afforestation programmes and by the National Forest Policy target of keeping about one third of the land under forest cover.
Even so, the present cover is still far short of that target.

Step 2: Look at permanent pasture.
The area of permanent pasture and grazing land has come down. Grazing land has steadily been taken over for cultivation and for settlement, which is one reason why the large cattle population of the country is difficult to feed.

Step 3: Look at barren and waste land.
Barren and waste land has also reduced, as reclamation work and the spread of farming have brought parts of it into use.

Step 4: Look at land unsuitable for agriculture.
Land put to non-agricultural uses has grown, but land described as unsuitable for agriculture has not expanded as a share of the reporting area in the way the forest category has.

Step 5: Choose the answer.
Among the four categories offered, forest is the one that has registered a clear increase.

Final Answer: (D) Forest
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