The Union Water Resources Ministry will identify villages who have done significant work towards water conservation and popularise them under the Centre's Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
The Union Water Resources Ministry will identify villages who have done significant work towards water conservation and popularise them under the Centre's Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
A committee, comprising officials of the ministry and representatives of NGOs, will identify these villages, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti said at a national convention on the Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
"The work done towards water conservation in these villages will be replicated at other parts of the country. I will also visit these villages," she added.
Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharti called upon all the stakeholders, including farmers, associations, government officials and NGOs, to "work in a collaborative manner" for the success of the campaign.
Outlining the significance of water conservation, the minister termed it as a "dharma" (duty) of the people.
"Saving water is also dharma. It does not only mean worshipping and prayers," she said.
Bharti reiterated her wish to make the Ganga clean during her lifetime, adding that she will go to "any extent" to realise this goal.
Water Resources Ministry Secretary Amarjit Singh highlighted the need of water conservation, saying 80 per cent of the available water in the country was used in agriculture.
"The present foodgrain production will require to be doubled by 2050 and doing so with limited water sources will be a challenge for us," he said.
Several stakeholders, including associations, farmers and students, also presented their views on the occasion.
The Jal Kranti Abhiyan, launched on June 5, 2015, has four components -- Jal Gram, development of command areas, abatement of pollution and awareness.
Under the Jal Gram scheme, two most water scarce villages in each district will be identified to formulate a water security plan for them. Of the target of 828, so far, 726 of such villages have been identified.
Integrated water security projects have been prepared for 180 of these villages and sanctioned for 61.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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