Lok Sabha Question No. 4432 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Coverage under Atal Bhujal Yojana
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Biplab Kumar Deb

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4432

## ANSWERED ON 19.03.2026

## COVERAGE UNDER ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA

## 4432. SHRI BIPLAB KUMAR DEB:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  the  key  objectives  and  present  coverage  of  the  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  across  participating  States  and Gram Panchayats in the country, State and Gram Panchayat-wise;

(b)  the  progress  achieved  in  enumeration,  geo-tagging  and  classification  of  water  bodies  under  the  Jal Shakti Abhiyan and related initiatives;

(c)  the  details  of  digital  and  technological  tools  currently  being  deployed  for  groundwater  monitoring, surface-water assessment and water-body mapping under various schemes of the Government across the country, particularly in Tripura; and

(d) the manner in which data collected through these systems is utilised for planning, decision-making and performance evaluation of water conservation measures?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)

(a) Atal  Bhujal  Yojana,  a  community  led  participatory  ground  water  management  scheme,  was implemented as a pilot scheme across 8,203 priority water stressed Gram Panchayats of seven states viz. Gujarat,  Haryana,  Karnataka,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Rajasthan  and  Uttar  Pradesh.  The  key objective  of  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  was  to  improve  groundwater  management  in  selected  states  through community  participation  and  focusing  on  demand-side  interventions,  ensuring  sustainability  of  the resource.  The  scheme  aimed  to  achieve  this  objective  by  strengthening  institutional  and  governance frameworks and by incentivizing  states  to  implement  groundwater  conservation  measures  at  grassroots level. The State-wise number of gram panchayats covered under the Scheme are as provided in Annexure.

(b) Under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign, implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, one of the key interventions is the enumeration, geo-tagging and inventorization of water bodies  to  facilitate  the  preparation  of  scientific  water  conservation  plans.  District  Collectors  and Magistrates  have  been  requested  to  enumerate  water  bodies  using  old  revenue  records,  remote  sensing data  from  the  National  Remote  Sensing  Agency  (NRSA)  and  Geographic  Information  System  (GIS) mapping technology to mark boundaries, geo-tag structures and integrate data from the National Water

Informatics Centre (NWIC) and State Water Resources Information Systems. This approach enables the development of data-driven scientific conservation plans.

In  addition,  a  notable  initiative  in  this  regard  is  the  development  of  the  GIS-based  sub-portal  'Jal Dharohar', operational in its beta version since 1 st November, 2023, under the India-WRIS Portal. This portal presents a consolidated and geo-tagged database of water bodies across India and integrates data from multiple national programmes and sources, including the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Minor Irrigation Statistics, the First Census of Water Bodies and the National Water Informatics Centre (NWIC). It serves as a visual and spatial tool for awareness creation, planning and monitoring of water resources.

(c)  &  (d) Water  being  a  State  subject,  the  Central  Government  plays  only  a  supportive  role  by supplementing the efforts of the States through various technical, financial, and policy-level interventions.

In this direction, the government employs a range of state of the art digital and technological tools not only for mapping and monitoring water resources of the country, including the State of Tripura, but also for planning precise policy interventions and evaluating performance of schemes. The following are a few noteworthy ones:

- i. National  Aquifer  Mapping  and  Management  Programme  (NAQUIM):  The  Central  Ground Water Board (CGWB) is implementing NAQUIM, utilizing advanced technologies such as Remote  Sensing  (RS)  and  Geographic  Information  Systems  (GIS)  for  aquifer  mapping, identifying recharge zones and assessing source sustainability. Heliborne geophysical surveys are  being  deployed  in  specific  areas  for  high-resolution  subsurface  data.  Under  NAQUIM Phase 1.0, the entire mappable area of the country of 25 lakh sq. kms, including an area of 6,757 sq. kms of Tripura state has been mapped and district level aquifer maps along with suitable management plans have been disseminated to State/District administrations.
- ii. Real-Time  Monitoring:  CGWB  conducts  real-time  groundwater  level  monitoring  through  a nationwide network of around 23,000 Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) equipped with telemetry  systems.  This  network  facilitates  the  transmission  of  near  real-time  data  on groundwater levels to a central server, helping in devising more focused conservation plans. In Tripura, 14 DWLRs have been installed.
- iii. Web-based Platforms: CGWB developed the India-Groundwater Resource Estimation System (IN-GRES), a web-based application that provides a standardized platform for groundwater resource assessment across the country, including Tripura. Such data forms the scientific basis for implementing schemes like MGNREGA, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Shakti Abhiyan etc.
- iv. The JSA: CTR dashboard: is a central digital platform created by the National Water Mission under  this  Ministry  for  monitoring,  evaluating  and  managing  the  " Catch  the  Rain "  (CTR)

campaign under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA). It serves as a data collection and analysis hub to track progress on water conservation activities and facilitates the creation of scientific water conservation plans. For example, the dashboard indicates that as on 17.03.2026, more than 2 Cr   water  conservation  and  rain  water  harvesting  works  have  been  taken  up  through  JSA campaign in the country, with 1,62,978 such works in Tripura.

- v. Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) dashboard :  to further strengthen the momentum of JSA, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative has been launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister in 2024 with a vision to make rain water harvesting a mass movement in the country and for effective  monitoring  of  recharge  structures  created  under  this  initiative,  Jal  Sanchay  Jan Bhagidari Dashboard, a dedicated digital platform has been developed and made available in the  public  domain.  The  stakeholders  are  required  to  onboard  each  constructed  recharge structure with photograph, geo tag and other details. The dashboard indicates that as on date more than  46  lakh  structures  have  been  taken  up  in  the  country,  with  58,923  structures  in Tripura.
- vi. Reservoir level and Flood monitoring: ' Flood Watch India '  app,  developed in-house by the Central  Water  Commission,  utilizes  advanced  technologies  such  as  satellite  data  analysis, mathematical  modelling  and  real-time  monitoring  to  deliver  accurate  and  timely  flood forecasts.  The  app  provides  information  about  592  flood  monitoring  stations  and  also regarding the storage positions of 150 major reservoirs in the country.
- vii. GIS  based monitoring: Various irrigation/water conservation structures created under PMKSY- SMI, RRR, Atal Bhujal Yojana etc. are monitored through GIS based applications and tools.
- viii. Use of Satellite and Remote sensing data: The Ministry is actively collaborating with agencies like Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG N) and Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad for making use of satellite and remote sensing data for various kinds of mapping and monitoring of water resources of the country, including Tripura.
- ix. Additionally, extensive use of digital dashboards, web portals, mobile apps etc. is being made for  collection  and  dissemination of data and performance monitoring of several schemes of the Ministry like PMKSY, NMCG, Atal Bhujal Yojana, MI census etc.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4432  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  19.03.2026  REGARDING  'COVERAGE UNDER ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA'.

State-wise number of gram panchayats covered under Atal Bhujal Yojana

| S. No.   | State          |   Districts |   Blocks |   Gram Panchayats |
|----------|----------------|-------------|----------|-------------------|
| 1        | Gujarat        |           6 |       36 |              1873 |
| 2        | Haryana        |          14 |       36 |              1647 |
| 3        | Karnataka      |          14 |       41 |              1199 |
| 4        | Madhya Pradesh |           6 |        9 |               670 |
| 5        | Maharashtra    |          13 |       43 |              1133 |
| 6        | Rajasthan      |          17 |       38 |              1132 |
| 7        | Uttar Pradesh  |          10 |       26 |               549 |
| Total    | Total          |          80 |      229 |              8203 |

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