5th National Water Awards Announced

Today, Shri C.R. Patil, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, announced the winners of the 5th National Water Awards at Shram Shakti Bhawan in New Delhi. This event celebrated efforts to manage and conserve water across India.

Winners of the National Water Awards

The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) is responsible for the awards. This year, there were 38 winners, including some who shared awards. The winners were selected from nine categories:

1. Best State
2. Best District
3. Best Village Panchayat
4. Best Urban Local Body
5. Best School or College
6. Best Industry
7. Best Water User Association
8. Best Institution (other than school or college)
9. Best Civil Society

In the Best State category, Odisha took home the first prize. Uttar Pradesh came in second, while Gujarat and Puducherry shared third place. Each winner will receive a citation, a trophy, and cash prizes in certain categories.

Award Ceremony Details

The award distribution ceremony will take place on October 22, 2023, at 11:00 AM in the Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Chief Guest at the event will be Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the Hon’ble President of India. The two Ministers of State for the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Shri Raj Bhushan Chowdhary and Shri V. Somanna, will also be present, along with senior officials from the Ministry.

Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Role

The Ministry of Jal Shakti is responsible for creating policies and programs to manage and protect water resources in India. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the ministry is running campaigns to raise awareness about water management and conservation. The National Water Awards were first introduced in 2018 to encourage best practices in water use. Awards for the years 2019, 2020, and 2022 were also held, while no awards were given in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Application Process

For the 2023 awards, the DoWR, RD & GR launched the program on October 13, 2023, through the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. They received a total of 686 applications this year. A Jury Committee reviewed the applications, and the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) conducted ground checks on the shortlisted applications. Based on these checks, 38 winners were chosen across nine categories.

Importance of the Awards

The National Water Awards focus on recognizing the hard work and achievements of individuals and organizations in promoting the government’s goal of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’ (Water Rich India). The awards aim to raise awareness about the importance of water and motivate people to adopt better water usage practices. This event helps to strengthen partnerships among people and organizations working in water conservation and management.