Lok Sabha Question No. 876 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Implementation of Atal Bhujal Yojana
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 876

ANSWERED ON 24.07.2025

## IMPLEMENTATION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA

876.   SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana in the identified States and the specific outcomes achieved so far in terms of groundwater level improvement and community participation;
- (b) the progress made under the said yojana for groundwater management in water-stressed areas;

(c) the details of community participation and convergence with local water bodies and agriculture-related schemes thereunder;

(d) whether any impact assessments have been conducted to evaluate improvements in groundwater levels in the country, especially in Jharkhand and if so, the results thereof;

- (e) whether the Government has conducted any third-party evaluation or impact assessment of the scheme to measure its effectiveness and sustainability in groundwater management and if so, the details thereof; and

(f)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  to  ensure  transparency,  community  ownership  and  efficient  utilisation  of funds under the yojana, especially in water-stressed districts?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  & (b) Government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme, in 8203 water stressed Gram Panchayats ( GPs ) of 229 administrative blocks/talukas in 80 districts of 7 States viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for a period of 6 years from 01.04.2020 with an aim to arrest decline in ground water level through a participatory approach led by community for sustainable groundwater management.

Major  outcomes  achieved/progress  made  so  far  under  the  scheme  in  the  implementation  areas  are  given below:

- i. Public  disclosure  of  groundwater  data  has  been  made  across  all  8,203  Atal  Jal  GPs  through physical as well as electronic means.
- ii. Community-led Water Budgets ( WBs )  and Water Security Plans ( WSPs )  have been prepared by all GPs and updated annually.

- iii. 1,27,647  GP-level  trainings  conducted,  alongside  94  state-level,  580  district-level,  and  1,283 block-level capacity-building trainings.
- iv. GP-level  groundwater  monitoring  enhanced  with  Digital  Water  Level  Recorders,  water  flow meters, rain gauges, water quality testing kits, and construction of piezometers.
- v. Around  81,000  supply-side structures constructed/renovated for water conservation and groundwater recharge.
- vi. Around  9  lakh  hectares  brought  under  efficient  water-use  practices  (drip/sprinkler  irrigation, mulching, crop diversification, etc.).

As a result, 1603 GPs in 83 Blocks have shown improvement in ground water level.

(c) Community participation  is  fundamental  to  the  implementation  of  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana.  Community participation  has  been  ensured  through  regular  meetings/  discussions,  various  modes  of  IEC,  awareness programmes and materials developed in vernacular languages. NGOs are engaged by the participating states as  District  Implementation  Partners to  facilitate  handholding  of  the  communities  at  each  step.  Moreover, social  inclusion  is  adopted  through  mandatory  33%  (minimum)  women's  participation  in  active  decision making roles.

(d) Atal Bhujal Yojana is not being implemented in Jharkhand.

(e) The  Government  has  engaged  Quality  Council  of  India  ( QCI )  as  the  Third  Party  Government Verification Agency for Overall Impact Assessment Study of Atal Bhujal Yojana. Incentive amounts under the Yojana are released to the States only after verification of the claims by QCI through field visits and data  validation.  Through  several  rounds  of  verification  QCI  has  found  that  community  awareness  about ground  water  issues  has  improved  in  Atal  Jal  areas  and  people  are  showing  interest  in  participating  in ground water conservation activities and also are taking up efficient irrigation practices.

(f) The  following  steps  have  been  taken  to  ensure  transparency,  community  ownership  and  efficient utilisation of funds under the Atal Bhujal Yojana:

- i. Various instruments installed in/supplied to the GPs are being actively used by the community members to regularly generate ground water related data which are in turn used by them in preparation of WBs and WSPs;
- ii. Moreover,  one  Community  Resource  Person  is  actively  working  in  every  GP  on  voluntary basis  for  better  coordination,  imparting  knowledge  and  handling  water  related  data  beyond scheme period as well;

- iii. All the water related data generated using instruments/equipment provided under Atal Bhujal Yojana  and  the  WSPs  for  each  GP  are  hosted  on  the  Atal  Jal  Portal  and  Mobile  App  for ensuring transparency;
- iv. Utilization  of  funds  under  the  scheme  is  approved  by  the  State  Level  Steering  Committee, chaired  by  the  Chief  Secretary,  based  on  the  requirement  of  supply  and  demand  side interventions in the Atal Jal areas;
- v. Various activities being taken up the States under the incentives component of the Scheme are verified by the Third Party Government Verification Agency viz. QCI;
- vi. Officers of the NPMU take regular meetings with the officers of the SPMUs and also conduct frequent field  visits  to  monitor  the  progress  of  the  Scheme  to  ensure  efficient  utilisation  of funds;
- vii. Meetings  of  the  National  Level  Steering  Committee  (NLSC),  which  is  an  inter-ministerial forum, are held biannually for effective implementation and monitoring of activities under the Atal Bhujal Yojana;
- viii. The  Controller  General  of  Accounts,  Department  of  Expenditure,  Ministry  of  Finance, Government of India conducts regular audit of the State Program Management Units of the participating States biannually and audit of the National Program Management Unit annually.

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