CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -The Centre has decided to convert large area of ravines in Gwalior-Chambal belt of Madhya Pradesh into arable land. A preliminary report for the same will be prepared in a month. The project will be taken up in collaboration with the World Bank.

Detailed explanation-2: -Back in 1971, the Central government launched a mega ravine reclamation project. The idea was to develop 55, 000 hectares of ravines for agriculture and about 25, 000 hectares for forestry in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sometimes the running water cuts through the clayey soil and forms deep channels known as gullies. This is a type of soil erosion, called as gully erosion. Gully erosion occurs in the Chambal basin where it is called ravines.

Detailed explanation-4: -Large areas of lands along rivers such as the Yamuna, the Chambal and the Mahi and their tributaries have been badly eroded and transformed into ravines. The march of ravines is progressing unabated; Lack of vegetation helps rainwater sweep away the upper portion of the land.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Chambal is a geographical and cultural region in north-central India. It lies along the Chambal and Yamuna river valleys, in southeastern Rajasthan, southwestern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh.