Union Minister of Jal Shakti C. R. Patil recently chaired a video conference to review the progress of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari across districts in Gujarat, along with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The meeting was attended by all District Collectors of the state.

The review was held in the context of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, launched in September 2024 from Surat in the virtual presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the objective of turning water conservation into a mass movement through public participation, in line with the vision of ‘catch the rain where it falls, when it falls’.

Senior officials present included V L Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Manoj Kumar Das, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat, and officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Government of Gujarat.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said the state government is fully committed to implementing Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari and has rolled out supportive measures, including a scheme offering 90 per cent financial assistance for recharging old borewells. He also highlighted examples from Banaskantha district, where community participation has led to the creation of innovative recharge structures. MLAs have been advised to allocate Rs 50 lakh per constituency from MLA Local Area Development funds for water conservation works.

District Collectors from Banaskantha, Kutch and Rajkot presented updates on on-ground initiatives undertaken under the programme.

Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil urged District Collectors to accelerate water conservation activities ahead of the monsoon, stressing effective use of MGNREGA funds, convergence of government schemes, and involvement of CSR initiatives, NGOs and forest departments. He added that the Ministry of Jal Shakti is extending technical support to districts for planning and execution of conservation works.

The Minister emphasised a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to ensure Gujarat continues to lead in water conservation through sustained district-level coordination.