PM Modi to launch ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign on Monday

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 21

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain’ campaign on World Water Day on Monday via video-conferencing.

Also, a memorandum of agreement between the Union Jal Shakti Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to implement the linking of rivers Ken and Betwa will be signed in PM Modi’s presence on the occasion.

Linking of Ken and Betwa is the first project of the National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.

While Ken river starts in Bundelkhand and flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Betwa (tributary of Yamuna) rises in Vindhya Range and flows through the two States.

The proposed water harvesting campaign will be undertaken across the country, in both rural and urban areas, with the theme “catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”. 

It will be implemented from March 22 to November 30, 2021 — the pre-monsoon and monsoon period in the country.

“It will be launched as a jan andolan to take water conservation at grassroots level through people’s participation,” a Jal Shakti Ministry official said.

It is intended to nudge all stakeholders to create rainwater harvesting structures suitable to the climatic conditions and subsoil strata, to ensure proper storage of rainwater.

After the event, Gram Sabhas will be held in all Gram Panchayats of each district (except in the poll bound states) to discuss issues related to water and water conservation. Gram Sabhas will also take ‘Jal Shapath’ for water conservation.