NITI Aayog : Hon’ble PM suggested to have a tradition of Jal Utsav to promote sensitivity towards importance and significance of water
- Fifty activities across multiple thematic areas of water
NITI Aayog ‘s fortnight long Jal Utsav from 6th to 20th November taken up in 20 aspirational districts across 20 States concluded yesterday. In pursuance of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s suggestion, NITI Aayog in partnership with Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti as partner Ministry along with the States, launched Jal Utsav on 6th November 2024.
Inauguration of Jal Utsav Event with Chief Guest, MLA, Darshanaben Deshmukh at Narmada, Gujarat
The objective of Jal Utsav is to create sensitivity and significance about water so as to make it an issue of prime importance, involve local community in protecting and preserving water resources, educate and encourage students by exposing them to local water resources management and drinking water quality testing.
After the launch programme, with the active participation of State Governments through their district administrations, involved thousands of people in fifty activities inter alia community, students & teachers and others taking Jal Utsav Oath, Jal bandhan – tying of sacred threads on water assets, cleaning local water assets, undertaking water conservation activities, identifying and inventorying water conservation assets, Jal Utsav run, planting tree in the name of mother (Ek Ped Maa ka Naam) , exposure visit of students to local water supply assets, demonstration and training of drinking water quality testing activity to students and teachers using field testing kits, holding competitions like essays and slogan writing and distributing prizes in schools, addressing leakages in the drinking water schemes, awareness campaigns on water-health interrelationship, involving SHGs in Jal Utsav activities etc. These activities were widely covered by the local media and in social media platforms.
Hon’ble Minister of Public Health Engineering Department Meghalaya Shri Marcuise N. Marak awarded prizes to students on the culmination of Jal Utsav.
Districts of Alluri Sitaramaraju in Andhra Pradesh, Hunumangarh in Rajasthan, Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and Khargone in Madhya Pradesh witnessed significant participation of stakeholders.
Senior political leaders, State Government officials from multiple departments working the water sector and NITI Aayog participated in the programme.