NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign via video conferencing on the occasion of World Water Day on Monday, March 22. A Memorandum of Agreement has also been signed between Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, Government of India; Chief Minister (CM) of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan; and CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project.
PM Modi said during the launch that it is an important step towards realising the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and benefitting millions of families in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. He added that the growing water crisis is increasing continuously with India’s development and it is the responsibility of the present generation to fulfil their responsibility towards the coming generation.
PM Modi also said that it is important to manage rainwater in order to decrease the dependance on groundwater and that’s why the success of the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign is important. He added that ‘Jal Shapath’, which is organised across the country, should become the pledge of every individual and if people change their nature positively towards water, nature will also support humanity.
PM Modi mentioned that 1.5 years ago, just 3.5 crore families out of the total 19 crore families in our country had piped drinking water but after the launch of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’, about 4 crore new families have been provided piped drinking water connections. He also pointed out that the government is working seriously towards water testing. Moreover, during the lockdown period itself, about 4.5 lakh women were trained for water testing and 5 women are trained in every village for water testing, he added.