Cabinet may consider proposal to launch Atal Bhujal Yojana

The Union Cabinet is likely to consider on Tuesday a proposal to launch the Atal Bhujal Yojna for sustainable management of groundwater resources with community participation, sources said. The groundwater preservation scheme, named after late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, envisages active participation of the communities in various activities such as formation of water user associations, monitoring and disseminating groundwater data, water budgeting, preparation and implementation of Gram Panchayat-wise water security plans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to launch the scheme on December 25, the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, the sources said. The identified overexploited and water stressed areas for the implementation of the scheme fall in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The states have been selected according to a number of criteria, including degree of groundwater exploitation and degradation, established legal and regulatory instruments, institutional readiness, and experience in implementing initiatives related to groundwater management.