The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, conferred the 6th National Water Awards, 2024, and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. 46 winners, including joint winners across 10 categories, were awarded for their exemplary work in the field of water conservation and management.
Each award winner was conferred with a citation, a trophy, and cash prizes in certain categories. Also, 100 distinguished awardees were presented for their exemplary contributions to the development of groundwater recharge structures in the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative.
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidiri (JSJB) initiative was launched on 6th September 2024 at Surat, Gujarat. The initiative, guided by a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach, promotes participatory stewardship and sustainable water governance at the grassroots level. Driven by the 3Cs mantra—Community, CSR, and Cost— it adopts an inclusive model that promotes long-term water security and resilience against water stress.
Under this initiative, States are divided into five zones, and the districts are encouraged to construct a minimum of 10,000 artificial recharge and storage structures. This number is 3,000 for the districts in North-Eastern and Hilly States, while it is 10,000 for Municipal Corporations nationwide. The structures include those for rooftop rainwater harvesting, as well as the rejuvenation of lakes, ponds, and stepwells.
