Serious note taken NITI Aayog

23/06/2018

As the entire country is facing the worst water crisis in its history and millions of lives and livelihoods are under threat and the situation is going to turn worse in the coming years, the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog felt it imperative to put in place timely interventions to make water use efficient and sustainable in the length and breadth of the country. Accordingly, an exercise was set into motion for development of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) to enable effective water management in the States in the face of this growing crisis. The National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has taken serious note of Jammu and Kashmir Government's utter failure to furnish data for Composite Water Management Index (CWMI), which has been developed to enable effective water management across the country in the face of growing crisis.The non-participation in the detailed and first ever major exercise has made it clear that effective management of water resources is least priority for the concerned authorities of the State although there is acute stress on the water bodies because of increasing population and developmental activities.
The objective behind this exercise was to establish a clear baseline and benchmark for State-level performance on key water indicators; uncover how States have progressed on water issues over time and identify areas for deeper engagement and investment on the part of the States. All the States and Union Territories were directed to furnish information on 28 points covering nine sectors on the NITI Aayog portal. These sectors included source augmentation and restoration of water bodies; source augmentation (ground water); major and medium irrigation-supply and management; watershed development-supply side management; participatory irrigation practices-demand side management; sustainable on-farm water use practices-demand side management; rural drinking water; urban water supply and sanitation and policy and governance. The data on these points was collected for two years-the base year of Financial Year 2015-16 and Financial Year 2016-17 for benchmarking of the current water performance of the States and also to study the evolution of this performance across the last two years. Though all the States in the country effectively participated in the exercise of NITI Aayog yet Jammu and Kashmir failed to furnish information on any of 28 points covering nine sectors, sources said while disclosing that J&K is the only State in the country which has been dubbed as 'non-cooperating' State by the NITI Aayog.
It is pertinent to mention here that restoration of water bodies to their pristine glory is also the concern of J&K High Court, which in different Public Interest Litigations (PILs) has passed numerous directions to the State Government. But, non-participation in the exercise conducted by NITI Aayog has made it clear that concerned authorities of the State have yet not woken from the deep slumber otherwise data sought by the NITI Aayog should have been prepared and made available well in time.

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty