Know All About Atal Bhujal Yojana

On December 25, 2019, the 95th anniversary of the birth of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Atal Bhujal Yojana (also known as Atal Jal, lit. Atal Groundwater Scheme or Atal Water), a groundwater management program. The program's goal is to enhance groundwater management in seven Indian states. The living beings on the earth need water for survival in various forms. So, the Atal Bhujal Yojana is one of the important steps toward the cause.

 

Since April 2020, 8220 water-stressed Gram Panchayats in 229 Administrative Blocks or Talukas in 80 districts of seven States-Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh-have been subject to the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) Central Sector Scheme (2020-25).

Know All About Atal Bhujal Yojana

The Committee instructed the aforesaid States to implement the interventions outlined under the Water Security Plans as quickly as possible. One of the main goals of ATAL JAL is to transform the community's behavior from one of consumption to one of conservation and intelligent water management. The Secretary emphasized that when undertaking interventions under this Scheme, the sustainability of the drinking water sources must be given the highest priority.

Review at a Glance:

  • The meeting was presided over by the Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Today in New Delhi was the third meeting of the Atal Bhujal Yojana's National Level Steering Committee (NLSC). The session was attended by senior officers from the seven States where the initiative is being implemented and certain line Departments. The Special Secretary and Joint Secretary of DoWR, RD & GR were present, in addition to the Principal Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and Secretaries from Gujarat and Karnataka.

The Special Secretary, DoWR, RD, and GR emphasized the value of ongoing community participation with a focus on the objective that the Communities own the WSPs:

  • One of the main goals of ATAL JAL is to transform the community's normative consumption mindset to one of conservation and intelligent water management. To ensure that the program's goals are met, it is crucial that this message be spread throughout all levels, particularly at the local level. An important activity under this scheme is raising knowledge of the program objectives among the general public and creating an environment that is conducive to the implementation of the scheme at all levels.
  • Various mass communication media have been used in awareness campaigns. The campaign's focus is on general practitioners (GPs), where communication tools including nukkadnataks (street dramas), audio-visual clips, wall-writing, display boards, booklets, and Cable TV are being broadly used.
  • The Committee evaluated the scheme's overall development and gave the States instructions to hasten convergence for the implementation of the interventions suggested by the Water Security Plans (WSPs). The Secretary acknowledged that the majority of the WSPs had been completed but also underlined that this was an ongoing process and that the WSPs should be revised yearly with input from the community.
  • The Secretary emphasized that when implementing interventions under this Scheme, the sustainability of drinking water sources must be first given attention. Additionally, because incentive money is an unrestricted resource, it may be used to launch pilot projects in any Atal Jal Gram Panchayat to preserve groundwater.
  • Building community capacity was also stressed because communities are the focal point of this plan. The DoWR, RD, and GR, as well as the Special Secretary, emphasized the value of ongoing community participation with a focus on the WSPs' ownership by the Communities. Regular IEC and awareness campaigns must continue in order to achieve this.
  • The World Bank's Mid-Term Review was wrapped up after the NLSC Meeting, and the task team leader for the Scheme provided a summary of the month-long Mission's overall and state-by-state progress and difficulties. Low convergence by the States relative to expectations was one of the primary issues that were emphasized. It is critical to accelerating this effort since convergence will form the basis of the upcoming round of incentives.
  • Additionally, each of the seven States discussed the best practices being implemented by the Atal Bhujal Yojana in their respective States and how this program is changing groundwater management.
  • The Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti presided over the third meeting of the National Level Steering Committee of the Atal Bhujal Yojana.
  • Senior Officers from the seven states where the Atal Bhujal Yojana is being implemented, as well as certain line departments, attended the third meeting of the National Level Steering Committee of the Program.
Know All About Atal Bhujal Yojana

The Main Agenda of Atal Bhujal Yojana:

  • The program calls for the communities and panchayats in the participating States to actively participate in a range of activities, including the creation or strengthening of water user associations, the monitoring and dissemination of groundwater data, water budgeting, and the design and implementation of water security plans (WSPs) at the gram panchayat level. In the Gram Panchayat-level Water User Associations, the proportion of women participating in water budgeting and water security planning exercises has been maintained at 33%. Each Gram Panchayat's current Village Water & Sanitation Committee has been expanded and hired for this purpose.
  • Changing people's behaviors on a local level is one of the key goals of the Atal Bhujal Yojana. In preparing the water budget and the water security plans, data on the availability and consumption of water were taken into consideration. The community is involved in preparing these plans, and the data utilized in them is made available to the entire community. Additionally, various equipment like Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs), Water Level Sounders, Rain Gauges, and Water Flow Meters are being placed in all Atal Jal States in order to improve water-related data. Additionally, the Government of India is implementing a number of Real-Time Data Acquisition Systems (RTDAS) nationwide as part of the National Hydrology program.

Below is a Breakdown of How much Money has been Allocated and Spent Under This Plan:

  • The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY), a Rs. 6000 crore scheme for sustainable management of groundwater, has received approval from the World Bank. The World Bank and the Government of India split the funds 50:50. The plan will be implemented during a five-year period, from 2018-19 to 2022-23. The states of Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh contain the areas that have been determined to be overexploited and water-stressed for the scheme's implementation.
  • The program calls for the communities and panchayats in the participating States to actively participate in a range of activities, including the creation or strengthening of water user associations, the monitoring and dissemination of groundwater data, water budgeting, and the design and implementation of water security plans (WSPs) at the gram panchayat level. In the Gram Panchayat-level Water User Associations, the proportion of women participating in water budgeting and water security planning exercises has been maintained at 33%. Each Gram Panchayat's current Village Water & Sanitation Committee has been expanded and hired for this purpose.
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