NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the Atal Bhujal Scheme for better management of groundwater, stressing on the need to use technology which helps prevent wastage of water in various spheres, including agriculture.
Outlining the importance of water management, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that 'New India' will have to work together to tackle water issues.
"New India should come to work together to deal with every situation of the water crisis. For this, we are working together on five levels," he said.
"On the one hand there is Jal Jeevan Mission, which will ensure that piped potable water will reach every household while on the other side is the Atal Jal Yojana, which will put prime focus on places where the groundwater level is low," Modi added.
He said that during the tenure of the previous NDA government, water issues were a priority for Vajpayee. "Whether it is the Atal Jal Yojana or the guidelines related to the Jal Jeevan Mission, these are major steps in proving the resolve to ensure that water reaches to every household in the country by 2024," the Prime Minister said.
He also named Rohtang passageway in Himachal Pradesh as Atal Tunnel to mark the 95th birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the government has fulfilled a long-pending demand to name the tunnel after the former prime minister.
The 8.8-km-long tunnel will be the world's longest above an altitude of 3,000 metres and will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres, according to the defence ministry.
Once thrown open, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh which otherwise remain cut off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters.
"The completion of the tunnel will provide all weather connectivity to remote areas of Lahaul and Spiti Valley and also reduce the distance between Manali & Leh by 46 KM," the defence minister said.
The project is being implemented by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Modi said the Atal Jal Yojana will help improve groundwater level in 78 districts, more than 8,300 villages in the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
He said agriculture in the country is largely based on irrigation carried out through the use of groundwater and using old-age techniques of irrigation also leads to wastage of water.
Crops like sugarcane, Modi said, need a lot of water and places where such crops are grown have noticed a depletion of groundwater table.
"To improve this, we need to make farmers aware of conservation of rain water and taking alternative crops for cultivation and move towards micro-irrigation," he said.
PM Modi also urged start-ups to come up with technology to ensure minimal use of water for various needs.
Modi said only three crores out of 18 crore rural households today have clean, piped water. The plan, he added, is to provide the remaining 15 crore rural households with piped water in the next five years.
Modi unveils statue of former PM Vajpayee in Lucknow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday unveiled a statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Lok Bhawan here.
He also laid the foundation stone for the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University in the Uttar Pradesh capital.
The state government has given 50 acres of land for the varsity. The event coincided with the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times.
(With inputs from ANI)