In a significant step towards realizing the vision of Water Secure India and Viksit Bharat 2047, the Ministry of Jal Shakti will host the Departmental Summit on 1-2 September 2026 at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi. The Summit is the first in a series of Departmental Summits envisioned by Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi as an innovative platform to strengthen cooperative federalism, foster collective ownership of national priorities, and accelerate outcomes through closer Centre-State collaboration.

Conceived in the spirit of Team India, the Departmental Summit model seeks to bring together political leadership and senior officials from the Union and State Governments to jointly deliberate on sectoral priorities, share good practices, address implementation challenges, and agree on time-bound actions for improved governance and service delivery. The Water Departmental Summit, being the first in this series, marks the beginning of a new approach to institutionalized collaboration between the Centre and States in pursuit of national development objectives.

The two-day Summit will focus on four key thematic pillars: timely implementation of water infrastructure projects; Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-Catch the Rain; source sustainability of drinking water systems; and operation and maintenance of rural drinking water supply schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0. Discussions will cover project implementation, inter-agency coordination, water conservation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, digital monitoring, asset management, and strengthening community-led water governance.

The consultations are expected to culminate in concrete and time-bound outcomes, including accelerated completion of ongoing projects, enhanced public participation in water conservation, strengthened sustainability of drinking water sources, and improved accountability for reliable rural drinking water services. Participating States will share their experiences, challenges, best practices and consensus on agreed outcomes, reinforcing the spirit of cooperative federalism and shared responsibility.

Participating States will present the key outcomes and action plans emerging from the deliberations before Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the valedictory session. The Hon'ble Prime Minister's guidance is expected to further strengthen the collective resolve of the Centre and States and provide momentum for the effective and timely implementation of the agreed action points.

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PS/ND/AK/HM