New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India’s development and self-reliance is dependent on water security and water connectivity, and urged all to take ‘Jal Shapath’ (water pledge).
Launching the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan:Catch the Rain’ campaign on World Water Day via video conferencing, Mr Modi said ‘Jal Shapath’, which is being organised all over the country should become everybody’s pledge and second nature as ‘when our nature changes with respect to water, nature will also support us.’
The launch was organised to mark World Water Day to raise awareness about water conservation. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, “The more we encourage our ‘Nari Shakti’, the better will be our ‘Jan Bhagidari’ in conserving our water resources. I congratulate the government of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for the Ken-Betwa link project, it will change the water landscape of the nearby areas.”
“People from Rajasthan and Gujarat understand water related problems well as there is water scarcity. I am also from Gujarat and faced such problems too. And it is the reason that in the Union Water Ministry we have a minister from the region to tackle such issues,” the Prime Minister said.
He also said that there will be more women participation in Jal Jeevan Mission as no one understands the worth better than them. It will be the first time since Independence that a government has worked so seriously for water-testing. Over 4 lakh women have been trained for (rain) water testing, he said.
As per the Ministry, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan — ‘Catch the Rain’ will be taken up in all districts, rural as well as urban areas with the main theme “Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls”. The campaign will be implemented during the period from March 22to November 30 — the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.
The campaign is being launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation at grassroots level through people’s participation to accelerate water conservation across the country.
