21-Jul-2022: Jal Shakti Abhiyan
Jal Shakti Abhiyan -I (JSA-I) was launched in 2019 in 1592 blocks in 256 water stressed districts of the country to promote water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five targeted interventions viz. water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water and recharging of structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation. Besides, the special interventions included development of Block Water Conservation Plans and District Water Conservation Plans, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Melas, Urban Wastewater Reuse and 3D contour mapping of all villages.
Later on the scope of JSA 2019 was expanded and “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) with the theme “Catch the Rain - Where it Falls When it Falls” was taken up to cover all the blocks of all districts (rural as well as urban areas) across the country during 22nd March 2021 to 30th November 2021 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period. JSA:CTR 2021 campaign had five focused interventions- (1) rainwater harvesting & water conservation (2) enumerating, geo-tagging & making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation (3) Setting up Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts (4) intensive afforestation and (5) awareness generation.
"Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) -2022, the third in the series of JSAs, has been launched on 29.3.2022 to cover all the blocks of all districts (rural as well as urban areas) across the country during 29th March 2022 to 30th November 2022 - the pre-monsoon and monsoon period. The targeted interventions of the campaign in the current year are (1) water conservation and rainwater harvesting (2) enumerating, geo-tagging & making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation based on it (3) Setting up of Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts (4) intensive afforestation and (5) awareness generation. In this campaign, additional activities/ sub-interventions have been incorporated under the intervention 'water conservation & rainwater harvesting' which include spring shed management, protection of water catchment areas and creation/ renovation of 'amrit sarovars'.
The steps taken by the Government for conservation and minimizing wastage of water include implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Unified Building Bye Laws (UBBL) of Delhi, 2016, Model Building Bye Laws (MBBL), 2016 and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014, Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s (MoPR) advisories to the State/UT Panchayati Raj Departments, Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), Central Ground Water Authority’s (CGWA) guidelines for control and regulation of groundwater extraction with pan-India applicability notified on 24 September 2020, Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) directives under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 etc. National Water Policy (2012) also advocates conservation, promotion and protection of water.
18-Jul-2022: Water conservation and rain water harvesting
Considering the stress on our water resources, Government has been emphasizing for an urgent need on water conservation and rainwater harvesting in the country through a movement with people’s participation. Accordingly, the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019 as a ‘Jan Andolan’ to accelerate water conservation and rainwater harvesting at grass-root level through citizen’s participation across the country. The campaign was implemented in 1,592 water stressed blocks in 256 districts of the country. The focused intervention areas of the Abhiyaan included - water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse and recharge of bore well structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation. The major achievement of the Abhiyaan had been participation of crores of people in the intervention areas.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan could not be taken in 2020 due to restrictions of Covid 19 pandemic. As a part of JSA 2020, Ministry of Jal Shakti took up “Catch The Rain” campaign with the tag line “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” to nudge all stakeholders to create rain water harvesting structures (RWHS) suitable to climatic conditions and sub-soil strata, to ensure in situ storage of rain water.
After overwhelming response of “Catch the Rain” campaign, the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” (JSA:CTR) campaign was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 22 March 2021, the World Water Day, which was taken up in all districts (rural as well as urban areas) of the country during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period, i.e. from 22 March 2021 to 30 November 2021. The campaign, implemented with the main theme “Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls”. A lot of water conservation work was taken up under “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” campaign under the five focused interventions of the campaign - (1) rainwater harvesting & water conservation (2) enumerating, geo-tagging & making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation (3) Setting up Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts (4) intensive afforestation and (5) awareness generation. The campaign evoked a very good response all over the country.
Thereafter, in current year, “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR)- 2022 was launched by Hon’ble President of India on 29th March, 2022 which is being taken up from 29th March 2022 to 30th November, 2022 in all the districts (rural as well as urban areas) of the country. This is the third year that the country is, in mission mode, organizing a Jan Andolan to conserve rain water and recharge ground water. This is a concerted national campaign with the collective participation of all stakeholders to strengthen water security in India. The campaigns have been successful so far in creating lakhs of water recharge structures to improve water security and in creating water literacy and awareness among the citizens of the country.
4-Apr-2022: Progress Made Under Jal Shakti Abhiyan
Jal Shakti Abhiyan, 2019 and Jal Shakti Abhiyan : Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR), 2021 have been extremely successful campaigns of the Government and their response has been overwhelming. While around 6.20 lakh water related works were completed and 12.36 crore intensive afforestation were carried out under JSA 2019, more than 46.70 lakh water related works were taken up along with more than 36.75 crore intensive afforestation activities were carried out under JSA:CTR as on 25.03.2022.
Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) (WAPCOS) Limited randomly verify progress of the works undertaken under the JSA: CTR through their field offices across India. Apart from physical works, the campaign has generated huge awareness amongst citizens of the country.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has enabled Bhuvan geoportal and mobile application for monitoring of Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) projects which are mostly undertaken in rainfed areas including water stressed districts. Multi-temporal satellite data is used to monitor the assets created under the scheme including check dams. Further, the latitude, longitude and photographs of the water bodies are collected in the census of water bodies through mobile application developed for this purpose. Ministry of Rural development has implemented GIS based planning approach in developing gram panchayats plan under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) using remote sensing technology which inter-alia includes check dams in water stressed districts.
29-Jul-2021: Target and Objectives of Jal Shakti Abhiyan
Jal Shakti Abhiyan -I (JSA-I) was launched in 2019 in 1592 blocks out of 2836 blocks in 256 water stressed districts of the country in two phases from 1st July to 30th September, 2019 and from 1st October to 30th November 2019. Under Jal Shakti Abhiyan – I, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India have worked with State and District officials in these water stressed districts of the country to promote water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five target interventions, viz. water conservation & rain water harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse and recharge of bore wells, watershed development and intensive afforestation. With this campaign, huge awareness has been generated and various stakeholders have started taking steps for water conservation. The outcome of JSA-I is improved water conservation.
No separate funds were allocated for JSA-I. However, under above mentioned interventions, funds were utilized by convergence of different Central and State Government schemes to achieve the goal. Jal Shakti Abhiyan – II could not be taken up due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. However, Ministry of Jal Shakti has taken up the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain” (JSA:CTR) with the theme “Catch the rain, Where it Falls When it Falls” covering both rural as well as urban areas of all districts in the country, during the pre-monsoon and monsoon period- i.e. upto 30th November 2021. The “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” campaign was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 22 March 2021, the World Water Day.
The focused interventions for JSA: CTR include creation/maintenance of water conservation & rainwater harvesting structures; renovation of traditional and other water bodies/ tanks; reuse and recharge of bore wells; watershed development; and intensive afforestation. Another important activity of the JSA:CTR is the preparation of district-wise geo-tagged inventory of all water bodies, its ground-truthing and preparation of scientific water conservation plans based on it.
15-Jun-2021: MoS Jal Shakti Urges All MPs To Participate And Support Jal Shakti Abhiyan – 2
Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria has written personal letters to all MPs, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, to support the ongoing “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” campaign in their respective constituencies and states. The Abhiyan with the theme- “Catch the Rain where it falls, when it falls’ was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on the occasion of world water day - March 22, 2021.
The campaign aims at tapping rainwater by constructing artificial recharge structures, revitalizing existing ponds and water bodies, creating new water bodies, provisioning check dams, rejuvenating wetlands and rivers before the onset of monsoon. It is also planned to create a data-base of all water bodies in the country by geo tagging them and using this data to create scientific and data-based district level water conservation plans.
The letter gives about the details of the Abhiyan and also informs the MPs about the progress made already. It seeks their support and contribution in sensitizing people to conserve rainwater during the upcoming monsoon season. Shri Kataria informed that the aim of sending the letter is to urge each MP to turn as a brand ambassador for this Abhiyan in their respective constituency. “We all must come together and rise above the party lines to address the common problem of depleting ground water levels and water scarcity, in public interest.” Shri Kataria added.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain campaign covers all rural and urban areas of all districts of the country, unlike the Jal Shakti Abhiyan-1 of 2019, which covered only 1592 water stressed blocks out of 2836 blocks in 256 districts of the country.
National Water Mission, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, is the nodal agency for its implementation and is tirelessly working involving all state governments and all big sized Public and Private enterprises to synergize their actions in this direction. The Ministry has coordinated with Ministries of Defence; Rural development; Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Agriculture; Housing and Urban Affairs etc. and institutions under Railways, Airports authority of India, CPMFs, all PSUs, Public sector Banks, Universities etc. which have vast tracts of lands under them to join hands to ‘Catch the Rain’.
In the last 2 months after the launch the Abhiyan has made noticeable achievements, despite the severe challenges posed by ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Ministry of Rural Development has reported completion of construction of 1.64 lakh water conservation and rain water harvesting (RWH) structures, incurring an expenditure of Rs 5,360 crore, while work is in progress on 1.82 lac additional structures. 37,428 traditional structures and existing water bodies have been renovated till date with an expenditure of Rs 2,666 crore and 42,000 additional structures are expected to be rejuvenated shortly.
A total of almost Rs 14,000 Cr worth water conservation related work is completed/ongoing under the MNREGS of Dept of Rural Development. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has renovated 1,258 RWH structures while adding 1.02 lac new RWH structures. Not limited to building structures, the Abhiyan has gone further to include crop diversification, afforestation and disseminating information on water use efficiency (WUE) under its mandate. The Department of agriculture has conducted 1,488 training sessions, through KVKs, training nearly 53,000 farmers on appropriate crop and WUE. Around 22,000 seed packets and 2,35,000 saplings have been distributed to urge farmers to shift to suitable crop.
“All this has been done fostering convergence amongst various departments and utilizing their allocated budgets, in line with the ideology of our Government - ‘Minimum Government – Maximum Governance” said Shri Kataria
The letter carries information as well as appreciation for dedicated cadre of Nehru Yuva Kendra, that is carrying out a robust awareness generation campaign in 623 districts. Training has already been accorded to 700 State/District level NYKS coordinators and around 2.27 crore people have so far participated in close to 16 lakh awareness generation activities organized through them.
Shri Kataria added that “The Prime Minister is leading from the front. He has written letters to all 2.5 lakh Gram Sarpanches as well as Chief Ministers of all the states to actively participate and contribute towards the success of this Campaign. His efforts speak volumes about the firm resolve to work in the field of water conservation. With these sincere efforts, supported by public participation, I am confident that soon we will be able to transform “Jal- Andolan” into a “Jan-Andolan.”
Jal Shakti Abhiyan-1 of 2019, which covered 1592 water stressed blocks in 256 districts of the country, was a first of its kind campaign where a team of technical experts from CWC and CGWB, led by a Joint secretary rank officer, visited field formations to sensitize local authorities about tapping rainwater. The results were overwhelming as successful interventions were made for rejuvenating existing water bodies and for harvesting roof top rainwater.
22-Mar-2021: Jal Shakti Abhiyan-II
Ministry of Jal Shakti is taking up nationwide campaign “Jal Shakti Abhiyan - Catch the Rain” focusing on saving and conserving rainwater with the theme “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” from 22 March 2021 to 30 November 2021, in the pre-monsoon and monsoon periods of 2021, covering both urban and rural areas of all the districts in the country.
Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission – Har Ghar Jal which aims at providing potable water to every rural household through tap water by 2024 with an estimated outlay of Rs.3.60 lakh crore. At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on 15th August, 2019, out of 18.93 crore rural households, 3.23 crore rural households were reported to have tap water supply. Since then, 3.87 crore rural households have been provided tap water connections.
12-Feb-2021: Catch the Rain Awareness Campaign
Jal Shakti Abhiyan-II could not be taken up in 2020 due to restrictions imposed by Covid-19 Pandemic. However, to keep its continuity, National Water Mission (NWM) launched – “Catch the Rain” campaign with tagline “Catch the Rain – where it falls, when it falls” in last year in all districts of the country, including all districts in Gujarat, to nudge the states and all stake-holders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata with the people’s active participation.
"Catch the Rain" campaign has evoked a very good response across the country and is being supported by Ministries/ Departments of Central and State Government, Airport Authority of India, Railways, Armed Forces, Central Armed Police Forces, universities, educational institutions including IITs & IIMs, Central Public Sector Enterprises, banking institutions etc.
As a preparatory step for the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan -II" campaign to be taken up in all districts in 2021, a 3 month long, massive awareness drive "JSA-II- Catch The Rain"', in collaboration with the "Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan", was launched on 21st December 2020 involving Youth Clubs in 623 districts across the country, including 25 districts of Gujarat.
4-Feb-2021: Jal Shakti Abhiyan -II
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA)-I, in 1592 blocks out of 2836 blocks in 256 water stressed districts of the country in two phases last year (1 July to 30 September and from 1 October to 30 November 2019) as a time bound campaign intended to improve water availability in these blocks. Under Jal Shakti Abhiyan-I, officers, groundwater experts and scientists from the Government of India have worked with State and District officials in these water-stressed districts of the country to promote water conservation and water resource management by focusing on accelerated implementation of five target interventions, viz, water conservation & rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse and recharge of bore wells, water shed development and intensive afforestation. With this campaign, huge awareness has been generated and various stakeholders, viz. government department, agencies, NGOs, officials, Panchayats, individuals, etc. have started taking steps for water conservation.
Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. Central Government augments the efforts of the State Governments by providing technical and financial assistance to them through various schemes and programs. Ministry of Jal Shakti has been implementing various schemes and programs like Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal), National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) Program, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana - Accredited Irrigation Benefit Program (PMKSY-AIBP), Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM) Program, Surface Minor Irrigation and Repair Renovation & Restoration of water bodies (a part of PMKSY- Har Khet Ko Pani) etc. and campaigns like “Catch the Rain” and “Sahi Fasal” with people’s/farmers’ active participation for water conservation and asset creation.
The "Catch The Rain" campaign launched by National Water Mission is an awareness generation program nudging the state governments and stakeholders to take up rain water harvesting structures appropriate to the soil-substrata and climatic conditions, with active participation of people. In collaboration with the "Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan" a massive awareness drive has been launched on 21 December 2020 involving Youth Clubs in 623 districts. Apart from this National Water Mission has been holding seminars, workshops, monthly "Water Talks" and "Water Tech talks" and weekly webinars "Catch the Rain: Dialogues with DMs" with selected District Magistrates/District Collectors/Deputy Commissioners to spread awareness. Department of Rural Development is also taking up water conservation works in drought prone areas of the country in all States/UTs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as per demand and following due process under the scheme.
21-Dec-2020: “JSA II: Catch the Rain” Awareness Generation Campaign launched
National Water Mission(NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti in collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports launched the “JSA II: Catch the Rain” Awareness Generation Campaign here today. The campaign was launched jointly by Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State (Independent Charge), Youth Affairs & Sports and Minister of State, Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in presence of Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria. The launch event was attended by large number of participants on digital platforms including field functionaries of NYKS in all the districts of the country.
The Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Shekhawat emphasized on the need to focus on water conservation and rainwater harvesting while Shri Rijiju stressed on the importance of involving the youngsters in the revolutionary campaign. Shri Kataria said that the Union Government accords the highest priority to the issue of water conservation and the need of the hour is to adopt an integrated approach towards water management. The Ministers collectively unveiled the posters and IEC material promoting Catch the Rain campaign.
As a preparatory phase of JSA-II, the Ministry has involved Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) for undertaking ‘Catch the Rain’ awareness campaign to cover 623 districts. The awareness generation phase of campaign will run from mid-December 2020 to March 2021. NYKS will undertake this awareness building campaign through various IEC activities which will include conducting education & motivational programs, mass awareness campaigns, environment building including wall writing, banners & e-posters, knowledge competitions, demonstration activities like theme-based nukkad nataks & skits, branding & popularize the campaign by logos & printed IEC materials etc. During this period, the NYKS teams will also meet district administration, line departments and water agencies, hold meetings with Pradhans, local influencers and volunteers to further the cause and also prepare plans for the water conservation to be taken up in the next phase of the campaign.
NWM has launched a campaign Catch the rain” with tag line “catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls” in order to nudge all stake-holders to create Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) suitable to the climatic conditions and sub-soil strata to store rain water as rains falling in the four/five months of monsoon are the only source of water for most parts of the country. Drives to make water harvesting pits, rooftop RWHS and check dams; removal of encroachments and de-silting of tanks to increase their storage capacity; removal of obstructions in the channels which bring water to them from the catchment areas; repairs to traditional water harvesting structures like step-wells and using defunct bore-wells and old wells to put the water back to aquifers etc., are some of the activities suggested to be taken up with peoples’ active participation under this campaign. The collaboration with NYKS is a step to engage people at the grassroots through effective campaigning & IEC activities for implementation of the campaign.
28-Apr-2020: Jal Shakti Abhiyan gears up for monsoon
‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’—is all set to combat the present health crisis and give a boost to the rural economy through its various components. This year owing to the COVID-19 emergency, and availability of large labour force in rural areas, the Abhiyan has started gearing up for the impending monsoon.
In a first of its case a Joint Advisory has been issued from the Department of Rural Development, Dept. of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Dept. of Land Resources & Dept of Drinking Water & Sanitation to all the Chief Secretaries of all States/ UTs, in context with the impending monsoon this year and the preparations to be done for water conservation and recharge which is of utmost importance for our country.
Last year Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched and it covered 256 water stressed districts across the country. This ‘Abhiyan’ is a mass movement to bring all the stakeholders under one ambit of water conservation drive, and last year it had a nationwide impact. Under this Abhiyan more than six and a half crore people became part comprising of State Govts, Central Govt, Civil Society Organisations, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Communities. More than seventy- five lakh traditional and other water bodies and tanks were renovated and around a crore water conservation & rainwater harvesting structures were created.
Encouraged by the response, a wider and more intensive strategy was planned for this year. But owing to the current health emergency, Central Govt officials will not be deployed in Abhiyan this summer. In view of it, it will be ensured that all available resources be optimally deployed to catch the rain during the monsoon this year and preparatory activities are also well placed.
Ministry of Home Affairs have allowed to take up MNGREGS works/ drinking water & sanitation works during lockdown with priority to be given to irrigation and water conservation works. Central and State sector schemes in irrigation and water conservation sectors have also been allowed to be implemented with suitable dovetailing with MNREGS works. It will be further ensured that all works are undertaken with strict implementation of social distancing, use of face covers/ masks and other necessary precautions. Rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, removal of encroachments in the water bodies, desilting of lakes & ponds, construction/ strengthening of inlets/outlets, catchment area treatment can be taken up on priority. Similarly, rejuvenation of small rivers through community driven River Basin Management practices may also be initiated. Such activities would ensure water source sustainability in rural areas and would strengthen the ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission being implemented by Ministry of Jal Shakti. In addition to it the Village Action Plan (VAP) prepared by local community for Jal Jeevan Mission will provide a solid framework to the rural activities.
1-Jul-2019: Jal Shakti Abhiyan for Water Conservation Launched.
Union Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, announced the commencement of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan - a campaign for water conservation and water security. The campaign will run through citizen participation during the monsoon season, from 1st July, 2019 to 15th September, 2019. An additional Phase 2 will be run from 1st October, 2019 to 30th November, 2019 for States receiving the North East retreating monsoons. The focus of the campaign will be on water stressed districts and blocks.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat address had given a clarion call to citizens to join hands for water conservation and create a jan-andolan along the lines of the Swachh Bharat Mission, to save water and secure the future. The Prime Minister invited ideas, traditional knowledge, initiatives undertaken, success stories, and films made on water conservation from common citizens, celebrities and NGOs alike.
The government aims at providing drinking water to every household on priority and in a sustainable manner. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan should bring positive change in people for water conservation. Mentioning the impact of PM’s recent letter to more than 2.3 lakh Sarpanches, the Minister said that it will help people to work for rain water harvesting, maintenance and upkeep of ponds and village tanks and conservation of water. The Union Minister invited the media to actively participate in these efforts.
Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Government of India and State Governments, being coordinated by the DDWS. Teams of officers from the central government will visit and work with district administration in 1592 water stressed blocks in 256 districts, to ensure five important water conservation interventions. These will be water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse, bore well recharge structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation. These water conservation efforts will also be supplemented with special interventions including the development of Block and District Water Conservation Plans, promotion of efficient water use for irrigation and better choice of crops through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.
A large-scale communications campaign has also been planned alongside the JSA involving mass mobilisation of different groups including school students, college students, swachhagrahis, Self Help Groups, Panchayati Raj Institution members, youth groups (NSS/NYKS/NCC), defence personnel, ex-servicemen and pensioners, among various others.
18-Jul-2022: Green Climate Fund
The Government of India organized a stakeholder consultation workshop on ‘Understanding India’s Climate Financing needs and its mobilization with focus on Green Climate Fund (GCF)’ under the ongoing GCF Readiness Program on 24th June 2022 in New Delhi. The workshop addressed ways of mobilizing finance at scale to facilitate a shift to low greenhouse gas emission and climate resilient development path, aligned with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions under Paris Agreement. The workshop suggested that sustainability path significantly raises the need for finance and human, technological and institutional capacities.
The task of developing a global architecture for trade in credits for emission reductions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is assigned to the UNFCCC Secretariat, as per the decisions of Parties to Paris Agreement. The GCF’s objective is to support shift towards low-emission and climate resilient development path by providing support to developing countries in the form of grants, loans, guarantees, equity etc. The Government of India has been actively engaging with GCF. So far, 5 projects have been approved with total allocation of USD 514.8 million in diverse areas including water, clean energy, livelihoods and transport. Two projects under GCF i.e., (i) Ground Water Recharge and Solar Micro Irrigation to Ensure Food Security and Enhance Resilience in Vulnerable Tribal Areas of Odisha and (ii) Enhancing climate resilience of India’s coastal communities, are being implemented with the active participation of communities in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha.
24-Jun-2022: Stakeholders Consultation Workshop on “Understanding India’s Climate Financing needs and its mobilization with focus on Green Climate Fund (GCF)” organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change
A stakeholder consultation workshop on “Understanding India’s Climate Financing needs and its mobilization with focus on Green Climate Fund (GCF)” was organized by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India under the ongoing GCF Readiness Program on 24th June 2022 in New Delhi. This workshop is part of an ongoing effort to understand India’s Climate Financing needs and scale of investments needed to be mobilized to accelerate investment in climate resilient development in India.
The inaugural session of the workshop was attended by Ms. Leena Nandan, Environment Secretary, Ms. Anupa Rimal Lamichhane, Regional Manager, Green Climate Fund, Ms. Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative. The Key Note Address was given by Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
Ms. Leena Nandan, Secretary, MoEFCC, in her address, focused on need for understanding the range of costs for meeting India’s ambitious climate actions which will indicate the scale of investments needed to be mobilized and also would help in identifying policies that will spur low carbon and resilient growth and emphasized that the role of public sources of funding would remain critical to mobilizing and leveraging private capital. She stressed on the scope, scale and speed of climate finance, which have to increase considerably to match the aspirations of an emerging economy like India. She emphasized on community level development projects which have the potential to generate green credits. Green credits generated through carbon market can also act as an effective vehicle to attract investments.
Recalling the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s statement at COP 26 “Mindful and Deliberate Utilization, instead of Mindless and Destructive Consumption”, Shri Ajay Seth, Secretary, DEA in his key note address highlighted the importance of assessing sector by sector climate finance requirements towards low carbon transition. He noted that the sectoral roadmaps to be prepared for key sectors of economy should cover the externalities and the delta for viability. While emphasising the equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) in global transition towards low carbon and climate resilient pathways, the vulnerable sectors and communities such as MSMEs, small and marginal farmers, and rural communities should be factored in for the additional premium associated with low carbon transition.
The workshop has focused on understanding India’s financial needs for climate actions with a focus on various financial instruments by its two technical sessions on Assessing India’s Financing Needs and Leveraging Climate Finance to meet the needs where dignitaries from Government of India, Private Sectors and Financial Institutions participated. The workshop thereby addressed ways of mobilizing the requisite finance at a scale to bring the much-needed shift to a transition towards the sustainable development path. The workshop stressed on the viability of financial instruments. The Workshop noted that sustainability path significantly raises the need for Finance and Human, Technological, Institutional, and Regulatory capacity. Financial resources and the said capacities grow as the country steps up the development trajectory. The workshop also addressed the experiences and success stories of Rewa Solar Power Project and attracting scalable private finance and the need for designing bankable projects sourcing. The Line Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, Private Sector Stakeholders, Financial Institutions, GCF Accredited Entities, Executing Entities, Implementing Entities and other relevant stakeholders participated in the workshop and shared their experiences and views.
The workshop emphasized on identifying the ways to drive short-term recovery and long-term resilience; leverage investments in least-cost energy solutions, resilient and secure energy systems, efficiency and competitiveness, and social and environmental equity for a sustainable future. The GCF secretariat has also provided their expert views on facilities available under the GCF. This consultation workshop has tried to strengthen the ongoing engagement with various stakeholders including the private sector and financial institutions to ensure effective and coherent engagement.
15-Nov-2019: US$43 million project to boost climate resilience
The Government of India took an important step toward its goals for low-carbon, climate-resilient development with the kick-off of a US$43 million project to build climate resilience of millions of people living in the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. The six-year project will work with communities in restoring ecosystems and promoting climate-resilient livelihood options, such as the sustainable farming of mud crabs.
The new project, funded by the Green Climate Fund, will be led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with support from UNDP. It further establishes India as a leader on climate action, and marks an essential step for India to reach its goals outlined in the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These global compacts call on every nation to end poverty and hunger by 2030, and to take strong action to ensure no one is left behind in protecting vulnerable people from the extreme impacts of climate change. This initiative will particularly address India’s strategic plan to achieve its nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, which focuses on adaptation efforts in vulnerable communities.
Over 1.7 million people are expected to directly benefit from livelihoods support, with another 10 million indirectly benefitting from improved shoreline protection. The initiative will also focus on providing tangible benefits for vulnerable communities, including women, female-headed households, young people and the elderly, and members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Over 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 will be sequestered through restored ecosystems over the next 30 years.
India’s coastal areas are quite vulnerable to climate change and in the last 5 years, we’ve seen increased floods & cyclones in these regions. This pace-setting new initiative will help enhance resilience and adaptability, lead to emissions reductions and support sustainable livelihoods. It aligns well with the priorities of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the State Action Plans, and the nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement. The Government of India will finance an additional US$86.8 million toward the new project to mainstream and accelerate the impacts of the Green Climate Fund grant.
This initiative will not just build climate resilience among people living on India's coasts, it will also have considerable long-term environmental benefits. By promoting healthier ecosystems, better biodiversity conservation and resilient livelihoods, it is also an example of the kind of integrated approach we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
To protect life on land and below water as outlined in the 2030 Agenda, project activities will focus on the restoration and conservation of over 15,000 hectares of mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses and saltmarshes. Communities, including local youth, will be trained to work with scientists in monitoring ecosystem health and coastal ecology.
To strengthen climate risk-informed coastal management and infrastructure planning, the innovative project will create an online decision-support tool available via mobile phone for use by government officers, academic institutions, community members and scientists. The project will also build local knowledge of climate change and the associated risks via training and public education programmes.
A range of partners from the public sector, private sector and civil society were consulted in the creation of the project proposal and will be involved throughout its implementation. The project is set to run to the end of 2024.
5-Dec-2018: Accounting methods of climate fund questioned
The Finance Ministry has issued a ‘discussion paper’ that has criticised the accounting methods used by developed countries to report how much money they have given, so far, to developing countries to address climate change.
Accounting procedures, regarding the flow of climate finance, is one of the most controversial issues being debated at Katowice, Poland where countries have gathered to agree upon a ‘Rule Book’ to implement the Paris Agreement of 2015, that commits countries to ensure the earth doesn’t warm 2 degree Celsius beyond pre-industrial levels.
In 2019, developed countries are expected to make available $100 billion annually to developing countries, according to a 2010 agreement in Cancun.
In 2016, developed countries published a road map to $100 billion, which claimed that public climate finance levels had reached $41 billion per year in 2013-14. In 2015, India had disputed this figure arguing it was only $ 2.2 billion. The 2017 numbers also tell a similar story. Only around 12% of total pledges to climate funds have actually materialised into disbursements.
It argues that the definition of climate finance in the UNFCCC has remained “imprecise and incomplete.” There was no clarity on whether the developed countries’ commitment to ‘provide funds’ meant funds committed or those that made it to their intended recipients.
The total pledges to the Green Climate Fund, the largest multilateral fund, was a “meagre” $10.3 billion. Further, most of the total climate finance has flowed into mitigation (a reference to preventing carbon dioxide from being emitted).
The growth in the reported climate specific finance actually slowed down from 24% between 2014 and 2015 to 14% between 2015 and 2016, quoting a report by the finance committee of the UN that manages climate-affairs.
The questions raised by the paper are similar to those articulated by India’s Environment Ministry-led delegation, now part of negotiations in Poland.
22-Oct-2018: Green climate fund approves $1 billion for projects in poor countries
Green climate fund has approved more than USD 1 billion in new investments after a four-day meeting in Bahrain. The Green Climate Fund said that the meeting approved 19 new projects, including a program to protect freshwater resources in Bahrain.
Environmentalists had argued the Gulf nation should pay for the project itself using money it has made off its vast reserves of oil and gas. Officials also agreed to start seeking new money for the fund next year.
President Donald Trump's decision to withhold USD 2 billion of the USD 3 billion pledged by predecessor Barack Obama has contributed to a shortfall in its projected assets.
The South Korea-based fund is considered a key vehicle for climate-related development programs.
27-Jul-2017: India all set to access resources under the Green Climate Fund for Finance Climate Action
An Accreditation Master Agreement (AMA) was signed between Green Climate Fund (GCF) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
India, like other developing countries, can do more, if finance and technology development & transfer and capacity building support are ensured as per the convention and its Paris Agreement. India is creating a network of strong institutions that can act as enablers for scaling-up climate action through technologically sound and innovative projects.
Several of the mitigation and adaptation targets, articulated in India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), to meet the international climate obligations are aligned with the Fund’s strategic impact areas - viz clean energy, energy efficiency, cities, transport, forestry, agriculture, water health and ecosystems. India’s NDC is among the few that make specific reference to the GCF specifically with regard to its role as a source for low-cost finance for its 40% non-fossil fuel based power target. India, with numerous climate change and developmental challenges, needs to engage more purposefully and actively with GCF. The accredited entities need to proactively engage with GCF to take advantage of the available opportunities.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is one of the operating entities under financial mechanism set up under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to provide support to developing countries in combating climate change, with resources to be generated from funding by developed country Parties and various other public and private sources. It supports both climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in developing countries.
So far, one project from India on “Installation of Ground Water Recharge System” in Odisha has recently been approved by the GCF for $34 million. Another proposal on coastal areas has already been submitted to the GCF Secretariat and several more projects are in the pipeline.
India has nominated a total of five direct access entities for accreditation by the GCF. Two of these from the public sector and three from the private sector for accreditation by the GCF. The public sector entities are NABARD and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The private sector entities nominated are YES Bank, IDFC Bank and IL&FS Environmental Services. So far, NABARD and SIDBI have been accredited by the GCF.
NABARD is the first entity from India to be accredited as Direct Access Entity (DAE). The signing of AMA between GCF and NABARD is an essential first step for accessing the GCF resources to help safeguard the lives, property and livelihoods of millions of people against climate change impact.
Board Member of GCF from India, Shri Dinesh Sharma, stressed upon submission of large size of proposals or multi state proposals from India to access the GCF resources and said that in coming years, GCF may play an important role in supporting climate change projects.
4-Apr-2022: Funds for Afforestation
The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has recently released the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) prepared by Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun for Rejuvenation of 13 Major Rivers namely Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, Luni, Yamuna, Mahanadi, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery through Forestry interventions. The programme interventions include tree plantation, soil and moisture conservation works in the catchment area and river front development to increase green cover and carbon sink, reduce silt load & flooding and enhance ground water recharge etc., besides generating employment.
The total financial requirement to the interventions proposed in these thirteen DPRs is Rs. 19,342.62 crore under 4 major components viz(a) Implementation of Forestry Interventions, (b) Strengthening Knowledge Management and National Capacity Development, (c) Maintenance Phase including Scaling Up and Replication of Successful Models, and (d) National Coordination for Forestry Interventions and River Conservation.
The DPRs have been forwarded to concerned State Governments for implementation with multi-departmental participation. The State Forest Departments together with concerned Departments namely Agricultural & Horticulture Department, Urban Municipal Bodies, Department of Rural Development etc. are envisaged to implement the DPRs with the funding sources under various Central and State Government schemes.
14-Mar-2022: Detailed Project Reports On Rejuvenation Of 13 Major Rivers Through Forestry Interventions
The Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav and the Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Sh. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with the Minister of State, MoEF&CC, Sh. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, jointly released the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on Rejuvenation of thirteen Major Rivers through Forestry Interventions. The 13 rivers for which DPRs were released are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery. The DPRs were funded by National Afforestation & Eco-development Board, (MoEF&CC) and prepared by Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education(ICFRE), Dehradun. Smt. Leena Nandan, Secretary, MoEF&CC, Sh. C.P. Goyal, Director General Forest & Special Secretary, MoEF&CC, Sh. Arun Singh Rawat, Director General, ICFRE were also present on the occasion.
Growing water crisis on account of depleting fresh water resources especially due to shrinking and degradation of river ecosystems is a major impediment to achieving national goals pertaining to environment, conservation, climate change and sustainable development. Thirteen rivers collectively cover a total basin area of 18,90,110 sq. km that represents 57.45% of the geographical area of the country. The length of 13 rivers including 202 tributaries within the delineated riverscapes is 42,830 km.
Addressing the gathering, the Union Environment Minister, Shri Bhupender Yadav said that these DPRs are in line with the holistic vision of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi of making the coming 25 years as ‘Amrit Kaal’ as these DPRs will create a target of green cover expansion for upcoming 10 years and 20 years, then the future generations will get a ‘Green India’ through the ‘Van Bhagidari and Jan Bhagidari’ of the current generation. Sh. Yadav further added that the projects will alleviate the growing water stress and help achieve national goals related to climate change and sustainable development.
Addressing the gathering, the Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that ‘water is the elixir of life’ and this fact was known to all traditionally as rivers were treated as goddesses and were cared for with deep reverence in the hearts, minds and souls of the masses. Shri Shekhawat said that the day we stopped thinking about what we give back to the rivers, when we did not balance the need for development with environmental sustainability, when we stopped becoming custodians of nature and rather forced our ownership on it, we have started exploiting and over exploiting our resources.
Talking about how under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi a holistic approach has been adopted towards river rejuvenation especially that of river Ganga, the Union Minister said that the entire world has witnessed and appreciated the results. The Union Minister for Jal Shakti stressed on the need for thinking of ourselves as custodians of nature and all its beauty & resources and the fact that in the past 5 decades we have forgotten our responsibilities towards sustainability and we need to ensure that we give a better resource base to our future generations. Sh. Shekhawat said that with these DPRs, through holistic planning, we can head towards giving a better resource base to the future through integrative management and combined efforts of all.
The rivers along with their tributaries are proposed for forestry interventions in the riverscape under different landscapes namely natural landscape, agricultural landscape and urban landscape. The different models of forestry plantations including timber species, medicinal plants, grasses, shrubs and fuel fodder and fruit trees are aimed to augment water, ground water recharge and contain erosion. A total of 667 treatment and plantation models are proposed in all the 13 DPRs meant for the proposed forestry interventions and supporting activities, in different landscapes. In all, 283 treatment models have been proposed for the natural landscapes, 97 treatments models in Agriculture Landscapes and 116 different treatment models in Urban Landscapes. Site specific treatments in terms of soil & moisture conservation and plantations of grasses, herbs, forestry and horticultural trees have been proposed for treatment of prioritized sites in the riverscape supported by GIS technique based on consultations with various stakeholders. Throughout this exercise Nodal officers from respective State Forest Departments were associated to coordinate with other line departments.
Each DPR incorporates detailed geospatial analysis of the delineated Riverscape, exhaustive review on the river environment, factors responsible for the current state and prioritization of areas using Remote sensing and GIS techniques along with field verification for proposed forestry interventions and other conservation measures through an extensive consultative process and designing and development of various treatment models for Natural, Agriculture & Urban landscape in each of the delineated riverscape. Each DPR consists of Vol. I, II and summary of the DPR in the form of an Overview. Additionally, an Overview as summary of all 13 DPRs is also prepared as abridged document.
The DPRs focus on protection, afforestation, catchment treatment, ecological restoration, moisture conservation, livelihood improvement, income generation, ecotourism by developing river fronts, eco-parks and bringing awareness amongst the masses. Research and monitoring have also been included as a component.
The proposed cumulative budget outlay of thirteen DPRs is Rs. 19,342.62 crore. The DPRs are expected to be executed through the State Forest Departments as nodal department and with convergence of schemes of other line departments in the states towards the activities proposed in the DPRs and funding support from the Government of India. For ease of implementation by the frontline staff, an Execution Manual in Hindi/Local Languages shall be prepared by the State Forest Departments. Technical support shall be provided by ICFRE. The treatments are proposed to be spread over a period of five years with a provision for additional time for maintenance of plantations. In case of delay in initiation of the project, the proposed outlay of the DPRs shall be adjusted using the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) since the project outlay was worked out as per costs prevailing during 2019-20. During execution, “Ridge to Valley approach” shall be followed and soil & moisture conservation works would precede the plantation operations. Flexibility has been provided in change of species and sites in case the circumstances at the time of implementation so demand. Steering and Executive Committees at the National Level and State level have also been proposed in the DPRs.
The activities proposed in the DPRs shall help achieve potential benefits of increasing the green cover, contain soil erosion, recharge water table and sequester carbon dioxide in addition to benefits in the form of non-timber forest produce. Forestry interventions are expected to increase the cumulative forest cover by 7,417.36 km2 across 13 riverscapes. The proposed interventions would help to sequester 50.21 million tons CO2 equivalent in 10-year-old plantations and 74.76 million tons CO2 equivalent in 20-year-old plantations. The proposed interventions in thirteen riverscapes would help in ground water recharge to the extent of 1,889.89 million m3 yr-1, and reduction in sedimentation to the tune of 64,83,114 m3 yr-1. In addition, Rs. 449.01 crore is likely to be generated from expected non-timber and other forest produce. It is also expected that the employment of 344 million man-days shall be generated through planned activities as provisioned in 13 DPRs.
These efforts will play an important role achieving the international commitments of India such as NDC forestry sector goal of creation of additional carbon sink of 2.5 -3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 under the Paris Agreement of UNFCCC, restoration of 26 million hectare of degraded lands by 2030 as a land degradation neutrality target under UNCCD, halt the biodiversity loss by 2030 under CBD and Sustainable Development Goals.
It will strengthen the country’s progress towards Panchamrit commitment at CoP-26 during November 2021 in Glasgow whereby India promised to reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030, meet 50 per cent of energy requirements with renewable energy by 2030, enhance non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatt by 2030, reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero emission by 2070.
Timely and effective implementation of the proposed forestry interventions as envisaged in DPRs of 13 major Indian Rivers is expected to significantly contribute towards improvement of terrestrial and aquatic biota, and livelihoods besides rejuvenation of the rivers in terms of Aviral Dhara, Nirmal Dhara besides Swachch Kinara.