What are the salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched by the Government of India for water conservation and water security? (Answer in 150 words)

The Jal Shakti Abhiyan was designed as a mission-mode, participatory campaign to address water stress through conservation, recharge and demand management.

• Focus on water-stressed districts and blocks, especially during the monsoon and pre-monsoon periods.
• Creation and rejuvenation of water-harvesting structures, check dams, ponds and traditional water bodies.
• Rainwater harvesting, watershed development, groundwater recharge and restoration of catchments.
• Promotion of efficient irrigation, crop diversification and reuse of treated wastewater.
• Afforestation, intensive awareness campaigns and jan bhagidari involving communities, panchayats and civil society.
• Use of geotagging, water-budgets, convergence of schemes and district-level planning for monitoring.

The campaign shifted attention from supply augmentation to conservation and local water security. Its effectiveness depends on maintaining assets, regulating extraction, improving aquifer-based planning and ensuring participation beyond campaign periods.

Keywords: rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, watershed management, water budgeting, convergence, jan bhagidari.