Hagar ElDidi

Common lands make up one-fifth of India’s landmass and play an important role in meeting the subsistence and livelihood needs of more than 350 million rural population, and are of great social and cultural significance to rural communities. However, they are still officially designated as ‘wastelands’ since colonial times informs this paper titled '

India has a large expanse of common lands that meet the livelihood needs of over 350 million people.