Panchkula (Haryana) [India], March 22 : Union Minister of Jal Shakti, C R Patil, on Saturday launched the nationwide campaign 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2025' at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in district Panchkula, Haryana, according to release.
Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the programme, C R Patil said that to ensure Haryana receives its rightful share of water, a meeting with the Chief Ministers of the concerned states will be held in the coming days to resolve inter-state issues.
Once these issues are resolved, Haryana will receive the water it is entitled to, he said.
On this occasion, Haryana Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini and Irrigation and Water Resources Minister, Shruti Choudhry were also present.
The Union Minister said that to promote water conservation and storage, Nayab Singh Saini has outlined various programmes in the state budget for 2025-26.
C.R Patil said that Haryana is a progressive state that depends on other states for its water supply. It also receives less rainfall. In such a state, it is necessary for both the government and citizens to be concerned about ensuring that there is no water shortage in the future. Therefore, with public participation, both the central and Haryana governments will work together in a committed manner to solve the problem of water scarcity in the state, said the Union Minister.
Patil further said that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had mentioned turning water conservation into a people's movement, and today's event is a reflection of that. He emphasised that the need of the hour is to save water because water cannot be created. Water will be the first criterion on which future generations will evaluate us. To secure water conservation for the future, we need to advance in water storage by making various plans and experimenting with different methods, said the Union Minister.
He also stated that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during a virtual meeting in Surat, had said that water conservation and public participation should be transformed into a people's movement. He said that the business community, particularly migrant traders, should contribute to their motherland through their efforts.
In this regard, he spoke to traders from Haryana who are in Surat, and they have pledged to spend their resources to work on water conservation in Haryana's villages in the coming days, said the Union Minister.
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti said that due to the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, the growing problem of water scarcity has been mitigated. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, 25 lakh women in the country were trained to check the quality of water coming into their villages and homes, and they were provided with kits.
"However, during the 70 years of Congress rule, there was never a need to train anyone, as the government never provided water to people's homes. Women had to fetch water from distant places, and the water was often not even fit for drinking. It was impossible for them to be concerned about the quality of the water," said the Union Minister.
He said that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Har Ghar Jal scheme provides 55 litres of water per person. He further said that if the water in the ground is used up completely, there will be no water left for future generations, so it is essential to store rainwater.
Concluding at event, the Union Minister further said that the Prime Minister believes that water for villages should stay in the village, and water for fields should stay in the fields. For this, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has developed different designs, and work will also be done on these in Haryana.
Chief Secretary, Anurag Rastogi, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ashok Meena, Chairperson, Haryana Water Resources Authority, Keshni Anand Arora, MP Kartik Sharma, MLA Shakti Rani Sharma, Haryana BJP State President, Mohan Lal Badoli, Panchkula Mayor, Kulbhushan Goyal, former Speaker, Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Gian Chand Gupta, and other officers and dignitaries also present.