Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India

Department of Land Resources ensure sustainable development of rainfed cultivable and degraded lands through a participatory approach by involving the stakeholders in decision making in the watershed development programmes. It makes a concerted effort to enhance the productivity of wastelands thereby enhancing livelihood opportunities in rural areas.

To put in place effective agrarian reforms, including an efficient land use policy, and a transparent Land Records Management System (LRMS) with the aim of to build an Integrated Land Information Management System (ILIMS). This system of integrated land information management will ultimately yield into security of tenancy to citizen, reduced land disputes, simplified procedure for transfer of properties title , fraudulent free landed properties transactions , etc.The National Wasteland Development Board (NWDB) was set up in the year 1985 under Ministry of Environment and Forests with the principal aim of bringing wastelands in the country into productive use through a massive programme of afforestation and tree plantations.

In July, 1992, the National Wasteland Development Board was reconstituted and placed in the newly created Department of Wasteland Development under Ministry of Rural Development. Subsequently, the Department of Wasteland Development was renamed as Department of Land Resources vide Gazette Notification dated 09-04-1999 (Annexure-I). Consequently, on creation of this Department, 32 posts; both Technical and General, were transferred from Ministry of Environment and Forests to Department of Land Resources.