The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti, convened a high-level Regional Conference of State Water Secretaries under the chairmanship of Shri V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi.

The conference aimed to engage states in deeper discussions to strengthen centre-state coordination and accelerate the implementation of ongoing water resources projects/ schemes. It brought together Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, and other higher officials from Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, NCT Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.

​The primary agenda included a comprehensive review of the implementation of various schemes of DoWR, RD & GR in the participating states, apart from the works of its organizations like CWC, CGWB, NWDA, NIH, NDSA, NWIC in those states, and how they can utilise the technical expertise of these organisations. The Conference also reviewed the status of adoption of various advisories issued by the DoWR, RD & GR on Flood Plain Zoning, National Framework on Sediment Management, implementation of provision of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, besides Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 2.0, Regulation and control of Groundwater Extraction, among others.

​The conference also emphasized the transition toward digital governance in water management, including the use of SCADA-based real-time monitoring, API-based data sharing for flood alerts, and the expansion of the Flood Watch mobile application for field officials.

State Govt. officials made presentations on the status of implementation of various schemes of DoWR, RD & GR, while flagging pending issues and expectations of the states from the union government. Secretary DoWR, RD&GR reviewed the overall progress made by the states and assured full support in resolving pending matters and strengthening the Centre-state coordination for effective implementation of various schemes.

The conference concluded with a call for a symbiotic relationship between the Centre and states in formulating and executing integrated strategies for sustainable and effective development of water resources in the country. It reiterated the department's commitment to providing requisite assistance for the overall development and management of water resources projects in the country.

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