AgriNation Network
New Delhi | 09 Jan 2017

Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation is organizing National Conference – Jal Manthan III on 13 January 2017 in New Delhi. The conference will focus on consultations and discussions on Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), River Basin Management, River Rejuvenation and Ecology, Flood management, Water use efficiency and Participatory irrigation management. It will also focus on refining policies of the Ministry to make them more people friendly and responsive to the needs of the states.

About 700 participants including Union Ministers of related Ministries or Departments, Chief Ministers of some States and Union Territories, Ministers of Irrigation and Water Resources of States/UTs, eminent experts in water sector, representatives of NGOs, etc are expected to attend the conference.

Centre has recently proposed a new World Bank backed Rs 6000 cr scheme to manage groundwater resources as India is facing a sharp decline in groundwater level in many parts of the country due to over exploitation of existing resources. Half of the scheme called National Groundwater Management Improvement Scheme (NGMIS) will be supported by the World Bank as loan while the remaining Rs 3000 cr will be funded by the government through budgetary support. Currently, nearly 60 percent of irrigation is done using groundwater. It is estimated that over 70 per cent of India’s food grain production comes from irrigated agriculture in which groundwater plays a dominant role.

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