Census land use categories 2011 vs 2001

[Sharad Lele]

Dear All,
As you know, Census Village Amenities Tables (now called Village Directories) contain a huge amount of data on various attributes of villages. Of particular interest to me is the last set of columns, which are about land use in the village. Till Census 2001, there used to be a limited number of categories of land use: 4 main categories (forest, area not available for cultivation. culturable waste, and Net Sown area (NSA was given in two columns: irrigated land and unirrigated land).

In the 2011 census, they have moved to the 'standard' 9-fold classification: forest, 
Area under Non-Agricultural Uses, Barren & Un-cultivable Land, Permanent Pastures and Other Grazing Land,  Land Under Miscellaneous Tree Crops etc., Culturable Waste Land, 
Fallows Land other than Current Fallows, Current Fallows, Net Area Sown, 
Total Unirrigated Land, Total Irrigated land. (Note that irr and unirr are subcategories of NSA). Plus they have given breakup of irrigated land by source.

The question I have for you is: how do these 9-fold categories map onto the old 4-fold classification? 

Forest 2011 to forest 2001, 

Barren+AreaunderNAU in 2011 = area underNAU in 2001
Misc Tree Crops+Cult Waste+Permanent Pastures in 2011 = Culturable Waste in 2001
And Total Unirr + total Irr in 2011 = total unirr + total Irr in 2001

But then what happens to current fallows & long-term fallows?? Where were they included in 2001 ? Under Unirr? or under Culturable waste ?

Appreciate your help. Could not find any online documents explaining this.

Sharad

[Sharad Lele]

I think I found the answer to my own question: In a District Census Handbook of 2001:

Column 20 and 21 shows area irrigated by different

sources of irrigation and un-irrigated area. These two

columns cover all agricultural land which equals to net

cropped area sown with crops and orchards including

current and other fallow lands. In case of irrigated

land, the source of irrigation has also been indicated.

This means that "Fallows other than Current Fallows" and "Current Fallows" of 2011 are part of NSA in 2001.

BUT, the next para in the 2001 handbook then creates confusion again:

Column-22 Culturable waste : This includes all

lands available for cultivation whether not taken up

for cultivation or taken up for cultivation once but not

cultivated during the five years or more in succession.

Such lands may be either fallow or covered with shrubs

and jungles which are not put to any use.

Now what does one make of this?

Sharad