Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched on April 24, 2022, to conserve water for the future. The mission aims to rejuvenate and develop 75 water bodies in each country’s district to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The mission encourages the mobilisation of non-government and citizen resources to supplement these efforts. The state governments identify different sites for constructing Amrit Sarovar in the country.
It is working across states and regions, focusing on various schemes such as XV Finance Commission Grants, Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) sub-schemes such as Har Ghar ko Pani, watershed Development Component in addition to the States’ schemes. It can be stated that the mission encourages the mobilization of resources from citizens and non-governmental organizations to supplement these efforts.
The Amrit Sarovar Mission is a mission based on a “whole government” approach employing the Ministry of Rural Development along with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Government of India are working together with technical cooperation from the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geospatial Information (BISAG-N).
The heart of the Amrit Sarovar Mission is the Jan Bhagidari, so people of all levels are involved. From the beginning of the mission, Amrit Sarovar’s cornerstone was laid by freedom fighters and their families of martyrs, Padma Laureates or Gram Panchayat’s eldest person. Through public participation, collective plantation of trees such as peepal, neem, banyan, etc., has been done.
The construction of the multipurpose Amrit Sarovar will also boost the rural economy. It will allow higher production of food grains and enable fish farming and cultivating Fox Nut, with an adequate irrigation system.
Salient features of the mission:
- It is based on the whole-government approach with the participation of different ministries.
- Every district will construct or rejuvenate Amrit Sarovars under the mission.
- Every Amrit Sarovar will be surrounded by trees.
- It will generate livelihoods by using sarovars water for different purposes such as duckery, fishery, water tourism, etc.
- It will also work as a social gathering point for the local people.
- The states and districts will work with convergence from various other schemes.
- This mission focuses on water conservation, proper utilization of soil excavated from the water bodies, and promoting people’s participation to boost the project.
- Different ministries engaged in infrastructure development, such as the Ministry of Railways, Road Transport & Highways, and others, are also engaged in this mission. These ministries are asked to utilize the soil excavated from the water bodies.
