On the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) and named the strategic tunnel under the Rohtang Pass after Vajpayee at an event in New Delhi today.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that today, a project of immense importance to the country, the Rohtang Tunnel, connecting Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, has been renamed the Atal Tunnel. He also said that this strategic tunnel will transform the region’s fortunes and boost tourism in the region.
On the Atal Jal Yojana, the Prime Minister said that the issue of water was extremely important to Atal ji and very close to his heart. Our government is striving to realize his vision. The Prime Minister further said that the guidelines related to the Atal Jal Yojana, or Jal Jeevan Mission, are a major step towards realizing our resolve to provide water to every household in the country by 2024. He said that this water crisis is a matter of concern for our families, our citizens, and our country and it also affects development. New India must be prepared to deal with every water crisis situation. To this end, we are working together at five levels.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Jal Shakti Ministry has adopted a comprehensive and holistic approach to water conservation, abandoning a fragmented approach. This monsoon, we have seen the extensive efforts made by the Jal Shakti Ministry to conserve water for the benefit of society. He said that while the Jal Jeevan Mission will work towards providing piped water to every household, the Atal Jal Yojana will pay special attention to areas where groundwater levels are very low.
To encourage better performance by Gram Panchayats in water management, the Prime Minister said that a provision has been made in the Atal Jal Yojana, under which higher allocations will be given to Gram Panchayats that perform better. He said that in 70 years, only 30 million out of 180 million rural families have received piped water supply. Now our government has set a target of providing clean drinking water to 150 million households through pipes in the next five years.
The Prime Minister emphasized that water-related plans should be tailored to the specific situation of each village. He stated that this was taken into account when formulating the guidelines for the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also stated that the central and state governments will spend ₹35 lakh crore on water-related projects over the next five years. He urged the people of each village to create a water action plan and establish a water fund. Where groundwater levels are very low, farmers should create a water budget.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh said that our economy depends on water conservation and we must use water resources judiciously. We need to make coordinated efforts to increase groundwater levels. Shri Singh commended the Prime Minister for naming the Rohtang Tunnel as “Atal Tunnel” after former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Atal Bhujal Scheme
The Atal Jal Yojana (AJY) has been formulated with the primary objective of strengthening the institutional framework for participatory groundwater management and bringing about community-level behavioral change for sustainable groundwater resource management in seven states – Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The implementation of the scheme is expected to benefit approximately 8,350 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts across these states. The Atal Jal Yojana (AJY) will promote Panchayat-led groundwater management and behavioral change, with a primary focus on demand-side management.