Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25, 2019 launched a scheme to conserve ground water in regions with low water tables. It is a Rs.6000 crore World Bank approved Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti The funding pattern is 50:50 between Government of India and World Bank.
Aims to improve ground water management in priority areas in the country through community participation. The scheme major focus will be on:
- Community participation eg, “formation of Water User Associations”.
- Monitoring and dissemination of data.
- Water budgeting.
- Panchayat-level plans.
- Information, Education & Communication (IEC) activities.
The priority areas identified under the scheme fall in the states of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These States represent about 25% of the total number of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of ground water in India. They also cover two major types of groundwater systems found in India – alluvial and hard rock aquifers- and have varying degrees of institutional readiness and experience in groundwater management.
