Thar Desert Rajasthan is a major opium production and consumption area. The Indira Gandhi Canal irrigates northwestern Rajasthan while the Government of India has started a centrally sponsored Desert Development Program based on watershed management with the objective of preventing the spread of desert and improving the living conditions of people in the desert. In the last 15–20 years, the Rajasthan desert has seen many changes, including a manifold increase of both the human and animal population. Animal husbandry has become popular due to the difficult farming conditions. At present, there are ten times more animals per person in Rajasthan than the
Thar Link Express renewable rail communication agreement was again extended by both nations from 19 January 2016 to 18 January 2019. This agreement forms the basis of running Thar Link Express, as well as the Samjhauta Express. The Delhi–Lahore Bus and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus are based on a separated agreement. The Thar Link Express is a continuation of the previous "Sind Mail", when it was revived after a period of 41 years on 18 February 2006. Indian network, on which this train runs, was converted to broad gauge long ago. In 2005, Pakistan also converted the line from metre gauge to broad gauge. This