The total cultivable area in India was reported as 155,369,076 hectares (52.3% of its total land area) as of 2020, and is shrinking due to over-farming, increased livestock grazing, deforestation, urban growth, and severe weather events. India has a total water surface area of 314,070 km2.

India's major mineral resources include coal (Fourth largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese ore (Seventh largest reserve in the world as in 2013), lithium ore (sixth largest reserve in the world as in 2023), mica, bauxite (fifth largest reserve in the world as in 2013), chromite, natural gas, diamonds, limestone and thorium. India's oil reserves, found in Bombay High off the coast of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and in eastern Assam meet 25% of the country's demand.

A national level agency National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) was established in 1983 for integrated natural resources management in the country. It is supported by the Planning Commission (India) and the Department of Space.

Coal

Coal mining in India started in 1774 through the East India Company in the Raniganj Coalfield, which is along the western bank of the Damodar River in the Indian state of West Bengal. Growth of Indian coal mining started when steam locomotives were introduced in 1853. Production increased to million tonnes. Production reached 30 million tonnes in 1946. After Independence, the National Coal Development Corporation was set up and colleries were owned by the railways. India consumes coal mainly for the power sector. Other industries like cement, fertilizer, chemical and paper rely on coal for energy.

Oil

India had about 100 million tonnes of proven oil reserves as of April 1978, or 1 billion barrels as per EIA estimate for 2020, which is the second-largest amount in the Asia-Pacific region behind China. Most of India's crude oil reserves are located on the western coast (Mumbai High) and in the southeastern parts of the country, although considerable undeveloped reserves are also located in the offshore Bay of Bengal and in the state of Rajasthan. The combination of rising oil consumption and fairly unwavering production levels leaves India highly dependent on imports to meet its consumption needs. In 2010, India produced an average of about 33.69 million tonnes of crude oil as of April 2010 or 877 thousand barrels per day as per EIA estimate of 2009. During 2006, India consumed an estimated of oil. The EIA estimates that India registered oil demand growth of during 2006. As of 2013 India Produces 30% of India's resources mostly in Rajasthan.

India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is the largest oil company in India. ONGC is the leading sport in India's downstream sector, accounting for roughly three-fourths of the country's oil output during 2006, as per Indian government estimates. As a net importer of all oil, the Indian Government has introduced policies aimed at growing domestic oil production and oil exploration activities. As part of the effort, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas crafted the New Exploration License Policy (NELP) in 2000, which permits foreign companies to hold 100% equity possession in oil and natural gas projects. However, to date, only a handful of oil fields are controlled by foreign firms. India's downstream sector is also dominated by state-owned entities, though private companies have enlarged their market share in past recent years.

Natural gas

As per the Ministry of Petroleum, Government of India, India has of confirmed natural gas reserves as of April 2010. A huge mass of India's natural gas production comes from the western offshore regions, particularly the Mumbai High complex. The onshore fields in Assam, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat states are also major producers of natural gas. As per EIA data, India produced of natural gas in 2004. India imports small amounts of natural gas. In 2004, India consumed about of natural gas, the first year in which the country showed net natural gas imports. During 2004, India imported of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar.

As in the oil sector, India's state-owned companies account for the bulk of natural gas production. ONGC and Oil India Limited. are the leading companies with respect to production volume, while some foreign companies take part in upstream developments in joint-ventures and production sharing contracts. Reliance Industries, a privately owned Indian company, also has a role in the natural gas sector as a result of a large natural gas find in 2002 in the Krishna Godavari basin.

The Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) holds an effective control on natural gas transmission and allocation activities. In December 2006, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas issued a new policy that allows foreign investors, private domestic companies, and Government oil companies to hold up to 100% equity stakes in pipeline projects. While GAIL's domination in natural gas transmission and allocation is not ensured by statute, it will continue to be the leading player in the sector because of its existing natural gas infrastructure.

Nuclear India's proven nuclear reserves include uranium and thorium.

Uranium AMD has established 433 thousand tonnes in-situ of uranium oxide resource across 47 uranium deposits.

In 2003, following a directive from the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests, a uranium mining project in the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Reserve (in Nalgonda District, Telangana) sparked public outcry, as 3,000 sq. kilometres were to be allocated for the project.

In 2007, India was able to extract 229 tonnes of U3O8 from its soil.2007 Annual report of the Euratom Supply Agency On 19 July 2011, Indian officials announced that the Tumalapalli mine in the Andhra Pradesh state of India could provide more than 170,000 tonnes of uranium, making it the world's largest uranium mine. Production of the ore is slated to begin in 2012.

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) recently discovered that the upcoming mine in Tumalapalli has close to 49,000 tonnes of uranium reserves. This could help India's nuclear power aspirations as it is three times the original estimate of the area's deposits.url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14196372, title:India: 'Massive' uranium find in Andhra Pradesh, Source: BBC

Thorium The IAEA's 2005 report estimates India's reasonably assured reserves of thorium at 319,000 tonnes, but mentions recent reports of India's reserves at 650,000 tonnes. A government of India estimate, shared in the country's Parliament in August 2011, puts the recoverable reserve at 846,477 tonnes. The Indian Minister of State V. Narayanasamy stated that as of May 2013, the country's thorium reserves were 11.93 million tonnes (monazite, having 9-10% ThO2), with a significant majority (8.59 Mt; 72%) found in the three eastern coastal states of Andhra Pradesh (3.72 Mt; 31%), Tamil Nadu (2.46 Mt; 21%) and Odisha (2.41 Mt; 20%). Both the IAEA and OECD appear to conclude that India may possess the largest share of world's thorium deposits.

Biotic resources Biotic resources are obtained from living and organic material. These include forest products, wildlife, crops and other living organisms. Most of these resources are renewable because they can be regenerated by themselves. Fossil fuels are considered as biotic because they are formed from decayed organic matter. Fossil fuels are non-renewable.

Population

India is the world's most populated country, having surpassed China in 2023. Although population growth in India has slowed, the country's population is expected to grow and hit a peak of 1.7 billion people by 2064. India's replacement level fertility rate is 2, as of 2023. Replacement levels in the country's larger states range from 1.6 for Punjab and West Bengal, and 3 for Bihar. India's replacement level fertility rate is 2, as of 2023. As of 2023, the average age of India's population is 28.2 years.

India being the world's most populated country has been stated to be an asset for the country. Being the most populated country in the world could further reinforce India's claim for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. India's young and large population also has advantages for the country's economy. The country's working-age population is projected to reach 1 billion people by 2031. India's working-age population growth is accounting for 23% of the world's working-age population growth between 2020 and 2025. India's large labour force is young, lower paid, English speaking, digitally learned and entrepreneurial, making the country an especially appealing destination for Western corporations that are looking to diversify their manufacturing centres from China.

Forestry

As of 2020, India had the 10th largest forest cover in the world. From 2010 to 2020, India was the country with the 3rd largest maximum average annual net gains in forest area and accounted for 2% of the world's total forest area. In 2021, India's total forest cover was 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62% of the country's land area. According to the India State of Forest Report of 2021, India's forest cover increased by 2,261 square kilometres from 2019 to 2021. According to the same report, in 17 states and union territories, more than 33% of land was covered in forests. Madhya Pradesh is the state with the largest area of forest cover and Mizoram has the highest forest cover as a percentage of the total area of the state. The Indian Forest Service is responsible for conservation and biodiversity protection in India's forests. The country's forests are governed by the National Forest Policy,1988.

India has moist and dry tropical, temperate and subtropical montane, alpine and scrub forests. India has a large forest economy. The forests support the livelihood of approximately 275 million people, who depend on India's forests for food, fuelwood, fodder and other products. Non-timber forest products, are the largest unorganized economic sector in the country, with a sector having revenue that exceeds $788 million. Raw materials from India's forests are used in many industries, which include processed foods and confectionery, pharmaceuticals, alternative medicine, cosmetics and perfumery, and paper and pulp.

Fish

As of 2020, India ranks second in aquaculture and third in fisheries production. Fisheries contributes 1.07% to India's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 145 million people, as of 2020. According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, fish production increased from 7.52 lakh tonnes in the year 1950–51 to 125.90 lakh tonnes in the year 2018–19, an increase of seventeen times. During the 2021 fiscal year, India's fish production was 14.73 million tonnes. From 2021 to 2022, $7.76 billion worth of marine products were exported from India. India has a long history in fishing and aquaculture. Aquaculture is carried out in fresh water bodies and brackish water bodies. In Indian rivers more than 400 species of fish are found, many of which are economically important. Shrimp, sardines, mackerels, carangid, croakers and other varieties are available. Major fish species available are carp, catfish, murrel and weed fish.

Abiotic resources Abiotic resources are obtained from the non-living and non-organic material. Some of the resources, like water and air, are renewable. Other resources like minerals are non-renewable and exhaustible because they cannot be regenerated. Minerals have many categories like metallic, non-metallic and minor minerals.

Metallic minerals Metallic minerals are the minerals which contain one or more metallic elements. They occur in rare, naturally formed concentrations known as mineral deposits. Metallic minerals available in India are gold, cobalt, zinc, iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite, silver, lead, tin, copper and chromite.

Chromite