World Water Day: PM Modi launched 'catch the rain' campaign today
On World Water Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ''Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain'' campaign for conserving water. Urging women to take leadership of Jal Jeevan missions, PM Modi said "positive results" will be achieved under their leadership. "No one understands the value of water better than women, if water conservation is handed over to women, they will ensure unimaginable positive results," he said. The Prime Minister also called for creating more awareness about water conservation and increased public participation.
PM Modi said for the first time after independence, a government is working seriously towards water testing and pointed out that "sisters and daughters" in rural India have been made stakeholders in this campaign. He said during the pandemic, about 4.5 lakh women were trained for water testing and at least five women are getting trained in every village. Better results are a certainty with increased participation of women in water governance, the Prime Minister said.
Addressing the virtual launch of the campaign on World Water Day, PM Modi said it is a matter of concern that majority of rain water in India is wasted. The 'Catch the Rain' campaign will be implemented across the country from March 22 to November 30. The campaign aims to take water conservation at the grass-root level through people's participation.
"There is still some time for the monsoon to arrive and we have to make efforts to conserve water. We should not be lacking in our preparedness," he said. Before the arrival of the rainy season, tanks should be cleaned and desilted. Wells and their capacity to conserve water must be also be increased, PM Modi said. India's self-sufficiency is dependent on its water resources and connectivity and development is not possible without proper water conservation, he added.
"I would like that every penny of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) funds be spent on rain water conservation till the monsoon arrives," he said. To save the country from water crisis, it is necessary to work rapidly and the coming 100 days must be devoted to rainwater conservation in each village, PM Modi said.
"Just like sweating in peace time is key for an army to win wars, water conservation during rains is key to saving lives," he said. The Prime Minister also urged the people to use water judiciously.