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(GIST OF YOJANA) Taking Water to Every Home and Soul

[April-2021]

While 3.23 Crore household tap connections were provided during the last 70 years, in one year of Jal Jeevan Mission, more than 3.73 Crore household tap connections were provided.
In the last year, 81,154 villages, 41,835 Panchayats, 669 blocks, and 52 districts and two states have achieved the distinction of 100% households with tap water connections, many other villages, districts, and states are slotted to follow suit this year. While numbers do speak volumes, nothing can be more evidential than being probed by a neutral party.
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation is presently in news because of the Jal Jeevan Mission, the stellar work being done by Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s successor, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 is an equally important programme being implemented by the Ministry.

Atai Bhujal Yojana:

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti is also heralding vital policies needed for the sustenance of water security in the country.
Atai Bhujal Yojana, with an outlay of Rs. 6,000 Crores aims to facilitate sustainable groundwater management with an emphasis on community participation and demand-side interventions for sustainable groundwater management in identified water-stressed areas in 8,353 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts of seven states in the country.
Atal Bhujal Yojana came at a precarious time for the country’, about 22% of our groundwater resources are in critical or over-exploited category.
1,499 out of 6,881 assessed units were found to be either critical or overexploited. With annual withdrawal exceeding annual replenishment of groundwater, demand side management was the call of the hour.
Atal Bhujal Yojana was constituted for this explicit purpose. It was also found that if only agriculture sector, the prime user of water resources in India, saves 10% water by water-efficient practices, water would be available to all for the next 50 years.

Other initiatives in this regard:

For this purpose, the grand vision of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana was implemented. The centrally sponsored Scheme on micro-irrigation has an objective to enhance water use efficiency in the agriculture sector by promoting appropriate technological interventions like drip & sprinkler irrigation and encouraging the farmers to use water-saving and conservation technologies.
Four-pronged vision of “Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).
Per Drop More Crop and Watershed Development, this scheme, set up with an allocation of Rs. 50,000 Crores, aims to bridge the gap between the potential of Micro Irrigation potential of the country which stands at 6.95 Crore Hectares of which only 10% was achieved till 2014.
To cover 100 Lakh Hectares under micro-irrigation by 2022, the expected increase in farmer’s income due to the scheme is expected to rise by Rs 10,000 Rs 25,000 per acre.

Way forward:

The Ministry is at the forefront of many such initiatives which on one hand shall augment the water resilience of the country and on the other hand provide access to safe drinking water to millions. It is an exciting time for us, a time which shall change the fortunes of the country.
It was the legendary Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel who guided by the wise words of the old testament extolled his countrymen to convert desert into the promised land, and Israel turned from a water-scarce nation to a water secure nation.