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Thiruvananthapuram, Sept. 19 The Kerala Government is planning to bring in legislation to ensure conservation of paddy land and wetlands in the State. A Bill for the purpose was presented in the State Assembly on Wednesday by the Revenue Minister, Mr K.P. Rajendran. The Bill was later referred to a select committee.

The ‘Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Bill, 2007,’ also seeks to regulate illegal and vast reclamation of paddy fields and other wetlands, indiscriminate mining from the paddy fields and to improve the overall ecological condition of the State.

Presenting the Bill, the Minister said that as per the latest estimates, only 2.76 lakh hectares of paddy land is available in the State and if the present situation continued, the remaining land would also be misused for other purposes.

Stating the objects and reasons, the Bill says that there has been an alarming shift from rice and subsistence food farming to cash crops in recent times. The area under paddy cultivation drastically declined from over eight lakh hectares in early 1970s to nearly two lakh hectares in 2000s mainly due to conversion of paddy land.

More Stories on : Rice | Agricultural Policy | Kerala

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Kerala Govt presents Bill for conservation of paddy land

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