Mission Amrit Sarovar: 40,000 water bodies developed in 11 months

New Delhi: Around 40,000 water bodies have been developed under the Mission Amrit Sarovar in the last 11 months, achieving around 80 per cent of the target under the scheme, the Rural Development Ministry said on Friday.

The Mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 last year aims at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of the "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav".

The total number of Amrit Sarovar to be developed under the scheme is around 50,000, which was set to be completed by August 15 this year.

"Within a short span of 11 months, more than 40,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed, which constitutes 80 per cent of the total target," the ministry said in a statement.

Taking people's participation as an important component of the scheme, 54,088 user groups were formed for developing the Amrit Sarovar.

"These user groups are fully involved during the entire process of development of Amrit Sarovar viz feasibility assessment, execution and its utilisation. States/UTs are leveraging the participation of freedom fighters, eldest members of panchayats, family members of freedom fighters and martyrs, Padma Awardees, etc. for purposes like laying of the foundation stone of the designated Amrit Sarovar sites, flag hoisting on important dates like 26th January and 15th August," the ministry said.

So far, 1,784 freedom fighters, 18,173 eldest members of panchayats, 448 family members of freedom fighters, 684 family members of martyrs and 56 Padma Awardees have participated in the Mission.

The Mission is boosting rural livelihood as the completed water bodies have been identified for activities like irrigation, fisheries, cultivation of water chestnut and animal husbandry.

As of now, 66 per cent of user groups are engaged in agriculture, 21 per cent in fisheries, six per cent are involved in water chestnut and lotus cultivation and seven per cent of the groups are involved in animal husbandry.

Six Central Ministries -- Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change -- are working on the Mission along with technical organisations like the Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N), and all States/UTs governments.

The Railway and Road Transport and Highways ministries are using the excavated soil from the water bodies for infrastructure projects in the vicinity.

Public and CSR bodies are also playing a significant role by contributing to the construction or rejuvenation of several Amrit Sarovar, the ministry added.

The Mission also aims at qualitative implementation and development of Amrit Sarovar as a hub of local community activities and convergence with different ministries for Amrit Sarovar works, they said.