Lok Sabha Question No. 757 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Assistance to States for Water Conservation
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Eswarasamy K

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 757

## ANSWERED ON 24.07.2025

## ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR WATER CONSERVATION

## 757.   SHRI ESWARASAMY K

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  providing  technical  and  financial  assistance  to  the  State  Governments  for executing projects relating to water conservation and rainwater harvesting in rural areas of the country;

- (b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has issued/proposes to issue any guidelines under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) in this regard; and

- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) 'Water' being a state subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments.

In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Central Government provides technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programmes.

The  Government  of  India  has  taken  various  initiatives/steps  for  water  conservation  and  rain  water harvesting to improving the groundwater level and addressing the water shortages. The major initiatives in this regard include 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan - Catch the Rain' (JSA: CTR) Campaign; Atal BhujalYojana (Atal Jal); Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS); Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY); Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transforming (AMRUT); Unified  Building  Bye  Laws  (UBBL);  Model  Building  Bye  Laws  (MBBL),  2016;  Urban  and Regional Development Plan Formulation & Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014 etc.

The Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign is a nationwide initiative implemented annually,  focusing  on  water  conservation,  rainwater  harvesting  and  groundwater  recharge.  The  campaign emphasizes convergent financing from various schemes of the Central, State and local bodies like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Per Drop More Crop, Repair, Renovation and Restoration Components under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Finance Commission grants etc.

To  further  strengthen  JSA:  CTR,  "Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari"  (JSJB)  initiative,  launched  in  Surat, Gujarat on 6 th September 2024, under Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign focuses on

intensifying  community  mobilization to build low cost rainwater harvesting structures in saturation mode. The  Jal  Sanchayprogramme  has  been  started  in  Gujarat  by  also  leveraging  community  funds,  individual donations, Corporate Social Responsibility Funds etc. for construction of low cost structures like borewells, recharge shafts, recharge pits, using locally available material, to harvest rainwater, to boost ground water level and provide local tailor made solution to water issues.

Under Ground Water Management & Regulation Scheme, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has been involved in the implementation of several successful artificial recharge projects including recharge pits in  the  country  for  demonstrative  purpose  which  enables  the  State  Governments  to  replicate  the  same  in suitable  hydrogeological  conditions.  To  address  the  challenges  faced  by  States  and  local  bodies  in implementing rainwater harvesting systems, particularly in water-stressed regions, the Government of India has  adopted  a  comprehensive,  multi-pronged  approach.  As  part  of  this  strategy,  Central  Nodal  Officers (CNOs) and Technical Officers (TOs) from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) conduct field visits to facilitate the districts and to provide technical assistance.

Under the Ground Water Management and Regulation (GWMR) scheme, which is a Central Sector Scheme, the CGWB offers technical assistance to State Governments for water conservation and rainwater harvesting initiatives, including those in rural areas. Since GWMR is centrally implemented, all activities are directly carried out by the CGWB.

(c) & (d) Drinking Water being a State subject, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission, lies  with State/UT Governments. The Government of India supports the States by providing technical and financial assistance. Since August, 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal  Jeevan  Mission  (JJM),  by  restructuring  and  subsuming  erstwhile  National  Rural  Drinking  Water Programme (NRDWP), which aims at providing potable water to every rural household across the country through functional household tap connection.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, States have been advised for source recharging, viz. dedicated bore well recharge  structures,  rainwater  recharge,  rejuvenation  of  existing  water  bodies,  reuse  of  greywater,  etc.,  in convergence  with  other  schemes  such  as  MGNREGS,  Integrated  Watershed  Management  Programme (IWMP), Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Rural Local Bodies/ Panchayati Raj Institutes, State schemes, CSR funds, etc. In addition, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA:  CTR)  campaign  encourage  the  water  conservation  at  grass-roots  level  with  people  participation. Moreover, works related to water resources development and management are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments as per their own resources and priorities.

Further,  for  villages  in  water-scarce  areas,  in  order  to  save  the  precious  fresh  water,  States  are  also encouraged to plan new water supply scheme with dual piped water supply system, i.e. supply of fresh water in one and treated grey waste water in another pipe for non-potable gardening/ toilet flushing use. Moreover, the  households  in  these  areas  are  encouraged  to  use  the  faucet  aerators  that  save  a  significant  amount  of water, in multiple taps they may be using inside their house.

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