Water resources projects, including rainwater harvesting and water conservation, renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks, reuse of water and recharge structures, watershed development and afforestation, etc. are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priorities. The role of the Government of India is limited to being catalytic, providing technical support and in some cases partial financial assistance in terms of the ongoing schemes of the Government of India.
Some of the initiatives taken by the Government of India, to supplement the efforts of the State Governments in this regard, are as below:
1. Under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), financial assistance is being provided, inter-alia, for
- Repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies.
- Development of ground water based irrigation in sustainable regions.
- Integrated development of rainfed areas towards soil and water conservation.
- Regeneration of ground water, and arresting runoff.
- Promoting extension activities relating to water harvesting & management.
- Promoting efficient water conveyance and precision water application devices like drips, sprinklers, pivots, rain-guns in the farm.
- Construction of micro-irrigation structures to supplement source creation activities.
2. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), is entrusted with the responsibilities of providing scientific inputs for management, exploration, monitoring, assessment, augmentation and regulation of groundwater resources of the country. Several guidelines and manuals have been prepared for rainwater harvesting.
3. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is implementing plantation/afforestation schemes in the forest areas with a participatory approach.
4. In 2019, Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched by the Government. This was followed in 2021, by the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” (JSA: CTR) campaign. Focused interventions under these annual campaigns taken up by the Government of India and the State Governments, include rainwater harvesting & water conservation, enumerating, geo-tagging & making an inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation, setting up Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts, intensive afforestation, and awareness generation. Activities such as the renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks, enumeration, geo-tagging and making an inventory of all water bodies, removal of encroachments of tanks/ lakes, and de-silting of tanks, are also included under JSA: CTR.
5. Government has launched the first Census of Waterbodies in convergence with the Sixth round of Minor Irrigation Census (the reference year 2017-18), under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme- “Irrigation Census”. The objective of the Census of Waterbodies is to develop a national database of all water bodies in the country.
6. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) has provisions for public works relating to natural resource management, water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve groundwater like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams and rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in public buildings.
7. Rejuvenation of water bodies, including traditional water bodies, is also a component under the Water Supply sector of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. Further, AMRUT 2.0 launched in October 2021, with a total outlay target to promote the circular economy of water through the development of a city water balance plan for each city focusing on recycling/reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
Disclaimer : This is an official press release by PIB.
