Govt Conducts Soil Mapping for 290 Lakh Hectares Across 40 Aspirational Districts

Soil Health and Fertility Scheme has been implemented by the Government since 2014-15. So far, 24.74 crore Soil Health Cards(SHC) have been generated across the country and funds amounting to ₹1706.18 crore have been released to various States/UTs. Till date, 8272 Soil Testing Labs (1068 Static Soil Testing Labs, 163 Mobile Soil Testing Labs, 6376 Mini Soil Testing Labs and 665 Village Level Soil Testing Labs) have been established across the country.

The Soil and Land Use Survey of India, a subordinate office under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, organizes short-term training courses (3 days) on topics such as the application of soil databases through Geographic Information System (GIS), Soil Health Management, Integrated Watershed Management (IWMP), Geo-Spatial Technology for Natural Resources Management, and Soil Survey & Mapping. These training programs are designed for officers and officials from various user agencies in different States and Union Territories. In 2024, training program was conducted for officers from the Agriculture, Forest, and Soil & Water Conservation departments of the Government of West Bengal and the North-Eastern States, and in 2025 for the officers of Agriculture Department, Government of Jammu & Kashmir.

Till date, 665 Village-level Soil Testing Labs (VSTL) have been established in 17 States. These include those set up by the entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), but their data is not maintained centrally.

So far, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India has completed soil mapping at 1:10,000 scale for approximately 290 lakh hectares, covering 40 aspirational districts. To promote judicious use of fertilizer by farmers, the Soil and Land Use Survey of India has also generated 1,987 village-level soil fertility maps for 21 States and Union Territories.

This information was given by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.