7 Lakh Water Bodies Being Restored In Country This Year: Union Jal Shakti Minister

Also Read: Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday (December 2) said that seven lakh water bodies were being restored this year in the country despite the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the work on 4.52 lakh such bodies has already been completed while the work on the rest of them is in progress. Mr. Shekhawat talked of the ongoing work of the restoration of water bodies in the country while addressing a web event “Rashtriya Sarpanch Sansad”, held by MIT World Peace University, Pune.

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While addressing the event digitally from Udaipur, he described it as an important program to connect with the soil of the country.

There are many examples where a single person, an organisation, a group, gram panchayats, public representatives or government strived on its own and achieved success in turning their village or area water prosper, Mr. Shekhawat said, acknowledging the role of village sarpanches in the country.

He said when a village turns water prosper, it does not only become water-reliant but brings a change in the entire eco-system of the area. He said the present government has accorded water and sanitisation top priority with the last person in the mind.

Our government has accorded top priority to drinking water and sanitisation. Rs. 60,000 crores had been allocated by the 15th Finance Commission for Panchayati Raj institutions for this year only. Of this, 50 per cent has been aimed at providing drinking water facilities and ensuring cleanliness, he said.

He added that at least Rs. 15,000 crores would remain available to the states only for sanitisation this year. Talking about the availability of drinking water in every home, Mr. Shekhawat said approximately one lakh families were being connected with drinking water facility per day under Jal Jeevan Mission.

Work under Jal Jeevan Mission has been progressing fast. We have provided water to over two crores families in just one year, he claimed.

Mr. Shekhawat had visited Udaipur to pay tribute to former BJP MP Kiran Maheshwari, who had succumbed to Covid 19 at Medanta Hospital in New Delhi three days ago.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.