India restored 21.76 million hectares of degraded land between 2011 and 2020, generating 1.22 billion person-days of employment, according to a PIB release citing progress under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. This positions India among leading nations on land degradation neutrality. The restoration effort links directly to India's NDC target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, contributing to carbon sequestration and rural livelihoods simultaneously.

Land degradation neutrality (LDN) is the principle that the amount of healthy, productive land remains stable or increases over time — losses in one area are offset by restoration elsewhere. It sits at the heart of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), to which India is a signatory. India's commitment under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, as part of a broader goal to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forests and trees.

The 21.76 million hectares restored during 2011–2020 represents substantial progress toward that 26 mn ha target. The key mechanism is the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), along with MGNREGS, which provides the labour backbone — explaining the 1.22 billion person-days figure. This dual dividend (ecological restoration + rural employment) is central to India's green growth argument.

For UPSC aspirants, the examiner typically tests whether you can connect specific numbers to the convention (UNCCD), the NDC target, and the domestic implementation scheme. For NABARD aspirants, the focus falls on watershed management as a credit-linked rural development tool — NABARD funds watershed projects through its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) and Watershed Development Fund (WDF). The convergence of land restoration with livelihood generation is precisely what India's LDN strategy is designed to demonstrate internationally.