Lok Sabha Question No. 72 (STARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Groundwater Recharge
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *72

ANSWERED ON 24.07.2025

## GROUNDWATER RECHARGE

## *72.  SHRI MAGUNTA SREENIVASULU REDDY

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  initiatives/measures  or  implemented  any  schemes  to recharge/improve groundwater levels across the country during the last five years, if so, the details thereof; (b) the total funds allocated and utilised in this regard during the last five years, State-wise especially in the State of Andhra Pradesh;

- (c) whether the Government has considered utilising new-age technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Satellite mapping and other such technologies for mapping and measuring groundwater levels in the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to increase awareness regarding the need to enhance groundwater levels across the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI

(SHRI C R PAATIL)

(a) to (d) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *72  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  24.07.2025  IN  LOK  SABHA  REGARDING  'GROUNDWATER RECHARGE'

(a) Water being a State subject, the issues related to development, regulation and management of ground water is primarily the responsibility of the state governments. The Central Government provides technical support and financial assistance through its institutions and various centrally sponsored schemes. In this regard,  the  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti(MoJS)  is  implementing  several  projects  and  schemes  to  continuously monitor and improve the ground water levels in the country whose brief outline is given below:

-  MoJS is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 which is a mission mode and time bound programme for harvesting the rainfall and taking  up water conservation activities  like  check  dams,  ponds,  recharge  shafts/pits  etc  by  actively  converging  the  resources from several platforms. Currently, JSA 2025 is underway in the country, with a special focus on Over-exploited  and  Critical  districts.  Further,  Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari  (JSJB)  initiative  was launched  under  JSA  during  2024,  for  taking  up  the  construction  of  cost  effective  and  locally suited artificial recharge structures across the country on a large scale through a convergent and participatory approach.
-  MoJS is also implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana in selected 80 water-stressed districts in identified 7 states to ensure sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation. Several supply and demand side interventions have been taken up under the scheme to boost ground water recharge and to reduce water demand as well.
-  The  Central  Ground  Water  Board  (CGWB)  regulates  and  monitors  ground  water  levels  and quality  and  assess  ground  water  resources  etc  throughout  the  country.  Further,  under  National Aquifer  Mapping  and  Management  Programme  (NAQUIM)  aquifer  mapping  for  the  entire mappable  area  of  the  country  has  been  completed  and  district-wise  aquifer  management  plans have been prepared and disseminated to the concerned administrations. Further, under NAQUIM 2.0,  detailed  micro  level  studies  focusing  on  priority  areas  like  water  stressed  zones,  urban agglomerations, coastal regions have been done.
-  Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater- 2020 has also been prepared by CGWB in consultation  with  States/UTs,  which  is  a  macro  level  plan  indicating  various  structures  for  the different terrain conditions of the country. The Master Plan envisages construction of about 1.42

crore Rain water harvesting and artificial recharge structures in the country to harness 185 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) of water.

-  Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched by the Government of India, which aimed at developing and rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in each district of the country for the purpose of increasing water storage and boosting ground water recharge.
-  Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers'  Welfare  (DA  &  FW)  is  implementing  Per  Drop  More Crop  Scheme  since  2015-16,  which  focuses  on  enhancing  water  use  efficiency  at  farm  level through  Micro  Irrigation  and  thus  improving  the  ground  water  situation  through  demand reduction.
-  In addition to the above, several State Governments have been implementing their own schemes targeting sustainable water resource improvement and management.

(b) Under  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan,  which  is  an  umbrella  campaign  for  converging  all  ground  water improvement  activities,  an  amount  of  Rs.  1.18  lakh  crores  has  been  spent  towards  water  conservation, artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting activities/works from April 2021 to July 2025 by convergence through MGNREGA. Similarly, for the state of Andhra Pradesh, an amount of Around Rs. 9,814 crores has been spent during the same period. State-wise expenditure details are provided in Annexure-I .

(c) To  leverage  advanced  global  practices,  this  Ministry  has  adopted  cutting-edge  technology  for  more accurate groundwater mapping, monitoring, and assessment. CGWB employs GIS tools, remote sensing, and  satellite  data  to  develop  scientific,  region-specific  management  and  recharge  plans,  including NAQUIM studies and the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge.

Further, this Ministry has taken up the process of installing Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) with telemetry systems throughout the country under its various schemes and projects like Ground Water Management & Regulation (GWM &R) Scheme, Atal Bhujal Yojana, National Hydrology Project(NHP) etc. These instruments transmit high frequency water level data directly from the field to a central server which will facilitate near-real-time access to this data, helping in more robust policy formulation.

Moreover,  Heli-borne  geophysical  surveys  adopting  Transient  Electromagnetic  Methods  have  been carried out by CGWB in collaboration with CSIR-NGRI for high resolution mapping of aquifers in the arid north  western  areas  of  the  country.  Several  potential  sites  for  ground  water  exploration  as  well  as conducting artificial recharge have been identified in the survey.

(d) The government is continuously striving to enhance people's awareness about ground water issues of the  country  and  secure  active  community  participation  for  sustainable  management  of  ground  water resources. Some of the important measures taken in this regard are provided below:

-  Sensitizing the communities on the need to preserve water and securing their active participation in water conservation works is at the heart of Jal Shakti Abhiyan. Through campaigns, workshops, and  local  initiatives,  it  educates  citizens  on  rainwater  harvesting,  groundwater  recharge,  and efficient water use. Moreover, Jal Shakti Kendras (JSKs) have been set up in every district of the country which act as knowledge centers disseminating information and advising people on various water related issues.
-  JSJB campaign was launched under JSA with an objective to take ground water management to grassroots  level.  By  converging  efforts  and  funds  from  both  government  and  community,  the initiative  strives  to  promote  community  ownership  and  responsibility,  for  developing  costeffective, local solutions tailored to specific water challenges across different regions.
-  Large scale sustained information, education, communication (IEC) and awareness activities have been taken up under Atal Bhujal Yojana at Gram Panchayat level on local ground water issues. Further,  regular  Gram  Panchayat  level  training  programmes  have  enabled  the  local  villagers  to prepare Water Budgets and Water Security Plans for their Panchayats.
-  Central Ground Water Board organizes various Public Interaction Programs (PIPs) on local ground water  issues,  wherein  the  local  public  is  made  aware  of  rainwater  harvesting  techniques, construction and conservation of water harvesting structures etc.

***

ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *72 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.07.2025 REGARDING 'GROUNDWATER RECHARGE'

| State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   | State-wise Expenditure incurred under Jal Shakti Abhiyan in convergence with MGNREGAfrom - 2021-25 (in Lakhs)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S.No .                                                                                                          | State                                                                                                           | Water Conservation and Rainwater Harvesting                                                                     | Renovation of Traditional Water Bodies                                                                          | Reuse and Recharge Structure s                                                                                  | Watershe d Developm ent                                                                                         | Intensive Afforesta tion                                                                                        | Grand Total                                                                                                     |
| 1                                                                                                               | ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR                                                                                             | 147                                                                                                             | 99                                                                                                              | 1                                                                                                               | 124                                                                                                             | 7                                                                                                               | 378                                                                                                             |
| 2                                                                                                               | ANDHRA PRADESH                                                                                                  | 273580                                                                                                          | 469571                                                                                                          | 364                                                                                                             | 186559                                                                                                          | 51336                                                                                                           | 981411                                                                                                          |
| 3                                                                                                               | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                                                                                               | 13892                                                                                                           | 886                                                                                                             | 2659                                                                                                            | 6098                                                                                                            | 19614                                                                                                           | 43143                                                                                                           |
| 4                                                                                                               | ASSAM                                                                                                           | 60377                                                                                                           | 13567                                                                                                           | 119                                                                                                             | 122439                                                                                                          | 15418                                                                                                           | 211914                                                                                                          |
| 5                                                                                                               | BIHAR                                                                                                           | 211196                                                                                                          | 43859                                                                                                           | 8385                                                                                                            | 146723                                                                                                          | 27544                                                                                                           | 437708                                                                                                          |
| 6                                                                                                               | CHHATTISGARH                                                                                                    | 251101                                                                                                          | 156291                                                                                                          | 7354                                                                                                            | 63766                                                                                                           | 29172                                                                                                           | 507683                                                                                                          |
| 7                                                                                                               | DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI ANDDAMAN AND DIU                                                                         | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               |
| 8                                                                                                               | GOA                                                                                                             | 46                                                                                                              | 121                                                                                                             | 30                                                                                                              | 106                                                                                                             | 16                                                                                                              | 319                                                                                                             |
| 9                                                                                                               | GUJARAT                                                                                                         | 43947                                                                                                           | 57250                                                                                                           | 1307                                                                                                            | 51837                                                                                                           | 19447                                                                                                           | 173791                                                                                                          |
| 10                                                                                                              | HARYANA                                                                                                         | 11012                                                                                                           | 14019                                                                                                           | 207                                                                                                             | 20853                                                                                                           | 2282                                                                                                            | 48374                                                                                                           |
| 11                                                                                                              | HIMACHAL PRADESH                                                                                                | 17949                                                                                                           | 3876                                                                                                            | 784                                                                                                             | 52710                                                                                                           | 7273                                                                                                            | 82590                                                                                                           |
| 12                                                                                                              | JAMMU AND KASHMIR                                                                                               | 36413                                                                                                           | 8197                                                                                                            | 14619                                                                                                           | 69237                                                                                                           | 6927                                                                                                            | 135395                                                                                                          |
| 13                                                                                                              | JHARKHAND                                                                                                       | 80574                                                                                                           | 2160                                                                                                            | 920                                                                                                             | 83972                                                                                                           | 27832                                                                                                           | 195460                                                                                                          |
| 14                                                                                                              | KARNATAKA                                                                                                       | 259995                                                                                                          | 92652                                                                                                           | 41581                                                                                                           | 254500                                                                                                          | 266082                                                                                                          | 914807                                                                                                          |
| 15                                                                                                              | KERALA                                                                                                          | 118159                                                                                                          | 41839                                                                                                           | 30318                                                                                                           | 425992                                                                                                          | 55815                                                                                                           | 672123                                                                                                          |
| 16                                                                                                              | LADAKH                                                                                                          | 2953                                                                                                            | 130                                                                                                             | 1031                                                                                                            | 2953                                                                                                            | 155                                                                                                             | 7222                                                                                                            |
| 17                                                                                                              | LAKSHADWEEP                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                               | 2                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 0                                                                                                               | 2                                                                                                               | 4                                                                                                               |
| 18                                                                                                              | MADHYA PRADESH                                                                                                  | 422781                                                                                                          | 50997                                                                                                           | 20527                                                                                                           | 256107                                                                                                          | 57985                                                                                                           | 808395                                                                                                          |
| 19                                                                                                              | MAHARASHTRA                                                                                                     | 30434                                                                                                           | 18194                                                                                                           | 3225                                                                                                            | 24700                                                                                                           | 84844                                                                                                           | 161397                                                                                                          |
| 20                                                                                                              | MANIPUR                                                                                                         | 35907                                                                                                           | 12771                                                                                                           | 286                                                                                                             | 9887                                                                                                            | 16417                                                                                                           | 75271                                                                                                           |
| 21                                                                                                              | MEGHALAYA                                                                                                       | 22590                                                                                                           | 2642                                                                                                            | 619                                                                                                             | 23956                                                                                                           | 14311                                                                                                           | 64119                                                                                                           |
| 22                                                                                                              | MIZORAM                                                                                                         | 33003                                                                                                           | 1815                                                                                                            | 1169                                                                                                            | 14320                                                                                                           | 4420                                                                                                            | 54729                                                                                                           |
| 23                                                                                                              | NAGALAND                                                                                                        | 9807                                                                                                            | 3251                                                                                                            | 303                                                                                                             | 7621                                                                                                            | 31579                                                                                                           | 52563                                                                                                           |
| 24                                                                                                              | ODISHA                                                                                                          | 205492                                                                                                          | 116123                                                                                                          | 9617                                                                                                            | 234166                                                                                                          | 147239                                                                                                          | 712636                                                                                                          |
| 25                                                                                                              | PUDUCHERRY                                                                                                      | 106                                                                                                             | 2905                                                                                                            | 0                                                                                                               | 15                                                                                                              | 2                                                                                                               | 3029                                                                                                            |
| 26                                                                                                              | PUNJAB                                                                                                          | 8502                                                                                                            | 41796                                                                                                           | 719                                                                                                             | 33749                                                                                                           | 33840                                                                                                           | 118601                                                                                                          |
| 27                                                                                                              | RAJASTHAN                                                                                                       | 701945                                                                                                          | 245079                                                                                                          | 3779                                                                                                            | 194947                                                                                                          | 117182                                                                                                          | 1262928                                                                                                         |
| 28                                                                                                              | SIKKIM                                                                                                          | 2546                                                                                                            | 91                                                                                                              | 195                                                                                                             | 6757                                                                                                            | 4007                                                                                                            | 13595                                                                                                           |
| 29                                                                                                              | TAMIL NADU                                                                                                      | 956291                                                                                                          | 161530                                                                                                          | 29904                                                                                                           | 404985                                                                                                          | 64375                                                                                                           | 1617082                                                                                                         |
| 30                                                                                                              | TELANGANA                                                                                                       | 31559                                                                                                           | 92440                                                                                                           | 245                                                                                                             | 51433                                                                                                           | 61164                                                                                                           | 236849                                                                                                          |
| 31                                                                                                              | TRIPURA                                                                                                         | 46563                                                                                                           | 4197                                                                                                            | 1332                                                                                                            | 53198                                                                                                           | 30091                                                                                                           | 135381                                                                                                          |
| 32                                                                                                              | UTTAR PRADESH                                                                                                   | 229263                                                                                                          | 169432                                                                                                          | 4750                                                                                                            | 811800                                                                                                          | 54980                                                                                                           | 1270227                                                                                                         |
| 33                                                                                                              | UTTARAKHAND                                                                                                     | 23234                                                                                                           | 7445                                                                                                            | 1716                                                                                                            | 58003                                                                                                           | 8496                                                                                                            | 98896                                                                                                           |
| 34                                                                                                              | WEST BENGAL                                                                                                     | 199513                                                                                                          | 137368                                                                                                          | 11191                                                                                                           | 128166                                                                                                          | 233781                                                                                                          | 710019                                                                                                          |
|                                                                                                                 | Total (In Lakhs)                                                                                                | 4340877                                                                                                         | 1972595                                                                                                         | 199256                                                                                                          | 3801679                                                                                                         | 1493635                                                                                                         | 11808039                                                                                                        |

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