National Water Awards- 3rd National Water Awards was announced by Jal Shakti Ministry

National Water Awards- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Recently, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti announced the 3rd National Water Awards-2020.
In the Best State category, Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

About: National Water Awards were instituted to recognize and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals, organizations, etc. across the country in attaining the vision of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’.
Beginning: The first National Water Award was launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in 2018. The second National Water Award was held in 2019.
Parent Ministry: The National Water awards are organized by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Award Categories: Ministry of Jal Shakti is giving 57 awards to States, Organizations, Individuals, etc. in 11 different categories-
1. Best State,
2. Best District,
3. Best Village Panchayat,
4. Best Urban Local Body,
5. Best Media (Print & Electronic),
6. Best School,
7. Best Institution/RWA/Religious organization for Campus usage,
8. Best Industry,
9. Best NGO,
10. Best Water User Association, and
11. Best Industry for CSR Activity.
Award Prize: National Water Awards consist of a citation, trophy and cash prize.

Recognition: National Water Awards to recognize the efforts of people/organizations working in this field throughout the country across various categories to cover the maximum area possible.
Promote Holistic and Participative Approach: National Water Awards encourages all stakeholders including the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Gram Panchayats, Urban Local Bodies, individuals, etc. for-
- Adopting innovative practices of groundwater augmentation by rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge,
- Promoting water use efficiency, recycling & re-use of water.
Awareness Generation: National Water Awards also aims to create awareness through people’s participation in the targeted areas resulting into-
- The sustainability of groundwater resources development,
- Adequate capacity building amongst the stakeholders etc.

Growing Water Needs: India’s current water requirement is estimated to be around 1,100 billion cubic meters per year, projected to go up to 1,447 billion cubic meters by 2050.
Limited Water Resources: While India has more than 18% of the world’s population, it has only 4% of the world’s renewable water resources.
Over-use and Climate Change: Over-use of India’s limited water resources along with reduced water supplies due to climate change is pushing India to a point of water scarcity.

shivam