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PM Modi launches ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’, says India's self-sufficiency dependent on our water

Modi said it is a matter of concern that majority of rainwater in India gets wasted and stressed that every penny of MGNREGA funds be spent on rainwater conservation till the monsoon arrives.

PM Modi launches Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain, says India's self-sufficiency dependent on our water-dnm
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New Delhi, First Published Mar 22, 2021, 3:03 PM IST

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Water Day on Monday (March 22), Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain' campaign in a bid to conserve water through a participatory approach.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that there will be more participation of women in the Jal Jeevan Mission.

"There will be more women participation in Jal Jeevan Mission as no one understands its worth better than them. It's the first time since independence that a government has worked so seriously for water testing. Over 4 lakh women trained for (rain) water testing during corona," said PM Modi while addressing the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" campaign virtually.

Modi said it is a matter of concern that majority of rainwater in India gets wasted and stressed that every penny of MGNREGA funds be spent on rainwater conservation till the monsoon arrives.

He said the more the rainwater is conserved, the less will be the dependence on groundwater.

PM Modi asserted that India's self-sufficiency is dependent on our water resources and water connectivity. He called upon everyone to ensure that not even a drop of water is wasted. He said India's 'Atmanirbhirta' and economic prosperity depends on the management of the finite resource. The unique feature of this campaign is that it involves the participation of both rural as well as urban areas, he added.

"Monsoon will arrive in a couple of weeks. Desilting, deepening and widening of water bodies and other water management work should be taken up as soon as possible... Coming 100 days must be devoted to preparations for rainwater conservation in each village... Do not wait for engineers to draw a plan for you. Villagers know very well how to implement water conservation and usage strategies," the PM said.

The event was also attended by a number of panches and sarpanches from across the country.

"Be it Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana or Prime Minister Agriculture Irrigation Scheme; be it 'Per Drop More Crop' campaign or Namami Gange Mission; be it Jal Jeevan Mission or Atal Bhujal Yojana, everyone is working fast to achieve the goals," the Prime Minister said.

"Apart from the conservation of rainwater, the management of river water in our country has also been discussed for decades. To save the country from this water crisis, it is now necessary to work fast in this direction. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is also part of this vision," he said.

The campaign aims to take water conservation at grass-root level through people's participation.

It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to the climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater.

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