Water being a State subject, it is for the State Governments concerned to take up water resources projects, as per their priorities and availability of funds, etc. Thus, developing village water bodies such as ponds, canals and wells to reduce the dependence of agriculture on rain water lie in the domain of the State Government concerned. However, Government of India promotes, and provides technical assistance, as well as partial financial assistance under its ongoing schemes for the identified projects. Some of the key initiatives of Government of India in this regard, are given below.

1. 1. Under Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) and Repair, Renovation & Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies components of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana – Har Khet Ko Pani (PMKSY-HKKP) scheme, partial financial assistance is being provided to the State Governments for taking up new surface minor irrigation projects as well as for repair/ renovation/ restoration of identified water bodies and tanks.
   2. Government of India is providing partial financial assistance, inter-alia, for construction of check-dams and other water harvesting structures under Watershed Development component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
   3. Focused interventions under Jal Shakti Abhiyan annual campaigns taken up by the Government of India and the State Governments, inter-alia, include renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks, enumeration, geo-tagging and making inventory of all water bodies, and removal of encroachments of tanks/ lakes, and de-silting of tanks.
   4. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) has provisions for public works relating to natural resource management, water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve ground water like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams and roof top rain water harvesting structures in public buildings.
   5. In April, 2022, Government of India has launched Mission Amrit Sarovar. The Mission is aimed at developing and rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in each district of the country as a part of celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav totaling about 50,000 Amrit Sarovars in the country.
   6. Ministry of Jal Shakti has undertaken first Census of Water Bodies in convergence with the Sixth Minor Irrigation Census (Reference Year 2017-18), with the objective of developing a national data base of all water bodies in the country. It has collected information on all important aspects on the subject including their size, condition, status of encroachment, use storage capacity, status of filling up storage etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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AS

(Release ID: 1906481)