NEW DELHI: Working towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for water resources and their conservation, the BJP’s Good Governance and Policy Research Department organised a “Jal Manthan” workshop for water resources ministers from BJP-ruled states on Thursday at the party’s central office.
Several experts attending the workshop provided guidance on effective ministerial functioning, the landscape of India’s water resources, and the relationship between the organisation and the government.
BJP senior leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said the objective of the workshop was to enhance the effectiveness of ministers, help governments achieve better outcomes and strengthen the goal of good governance.
Sahasrabuddhe stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party is the only party with a separate department dedicated to good governance and policy research.
He has been overseeing the department for more than a decade. Under the department, workshops have been organised for ministers, while it has also played a role in conferences of BJP and NDA chief ministers.
"It continuously strives to help its governments achieve better outcomes through improved governance and performance. With this objective, a one- to two-day “Jal Manthan” involving the Water Resources Ministers of all BJP-ruled states in India began yesterday evening and continued till Thursday evening", he said at a press conference.
He also asserted that, prior to this, the Government of India had convened a conference of Water Resources Ministers from all states.
He said that 25 Water Resources Ministers from 14 BJP-ruled states attended the workshop.
"When referring to Water Resources Ministers, the departments covered include irrigation, rural drinking water, and, in some cases, drinking water and sanitation. In some places, these departments are also known as Public Health Engineering. All the ministers responsible for such water-related departments are participating in this workshop", he said.
Sahasrabuddhe said that on Wednesday, the BJP national president had interacted with all the participants and shared his thoughts.
This was followed by the first session on Thursday, focused on “Effective Ministerial Establishment”, which examined how a minister’s establishment can function effectively.
This was followed by a session on the overall water resources landscape in India, titled “What is the India Water Story?”, during which experts shared their insights.
He added that there was also a session on the relationship between the organisation and the government, with the workshop concluding later on Thursday.
After the conclusion of the workshop, all the ministers returned to their respective states.
"The Good Governance Department will continue to organise such workshops on a regular basis. Ministers from other Union ministries have also requested that similar workshops be organised. Therefore, as decided by the party leadership, several other departments will also be included, and workshops will be organised for ministers from BJP-ruled states. The ministers will participate in these workshops and work towards achieving the larger objective of delivering good governance", he said.