Latest news with #AtalBhujalYojana
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Kanhan faces evere threat from pollution, warn experts
Nagpur: The Kanhan River, Nagpur's main drinking water source since 1951, is under serious threat due to unchecked pollution, warned ex-Neeri scientist Dr Pawan Labhasetwar at Vidarbha Pani Parishad. Industrial effluents and ash discharge from the Koradi plant, along with algal blooms, are worsening the river's condition. Experts including Dr Mukund Patrikar highlighted global and local water crises, stressing the need for innovation, traditional knowledge, and grassroots action. Chandrakant Bhoyar praised schemes like Atal Bhujal Yojana and urged revival of age-old harvesting methods. Academicians Shriram Kavle and Ramesh Lakhmapure called for youth involvement and recognised water as cultural heritage with employment potential. The Parishad ended with a united call for urgent, multi-level interventions. *****
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
UP leads in efforts to conserve water
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh ranks among the top states for water conservation in the country, recently being awarded the first position in the Third National Water Awards. Among various initiatives taken to conserve water are its Khet Talab Yojana, Amrit Sarovar, revival of rivers, multipurpose ponds along the Ganga and the Ken-Betwa Link project. Rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory in new urban housing projects. Around 70–80% of India's annual rainfall occurs between July and Sep, with regions like UP's Terai belt receiving even more. During this period, India gets about 870 mm of rain, but most of it is not conserved. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently said the water crisis in the country is due to mismanagement not scarcity. To address this problem, the Central and state govts emphasised projects like rainwater harvesting and water recharge through the Atal Bhujal Yojana and the 'Catch the Rain' campaign. In UP, govt launched the Khet Talab Yojana. It has now set a target of constructing 8,500 ponds in rural areas, aiming to boost agricultural output, especially in paddy and maize, by over 12%. Under the Amrit Sarovar Yojana, launched in 2023, govt targeted the creation of 75 ponds per district. UP currently leads the country in its implementation. However, global warming has led to erratic weather patterns, with short bursts of heavy rain followed by prolonged dry spells, resulting in floods and droughts and impacting agricultural productivity, said a govt spokesperson. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dinheiro pra você organizar suas contas! Banco BV Saiba Mais Undo India is among the eight nations facing the highest projected decline in crop yields due to water scarcity, with a potential drop of 28.8%. UP is particularly vulnerable. Rainfall trends are shifting, especially in Bundelkhand. Over 77 years, the region has witnessed a sharp decline in average annual rainfall, dropping by 320 mm, or about 4.2 mm per year. From a historical average of 1,068.4 mm, rainfall levels hover between 800 and 900 mm annually. Now, govt has made Bundelkhand a focal point for water conservation efforts. The Khet Talab Yojana was launched here and the region is now home to numerous small and large-scale irrigation and conservation projects. Farmers are being encouraged to adopt modern, water-efficient irrigation techniques. CM Yogi Adityanath has been personally involved in water conservation practices. "Hailing from Gorakhpur, located in the water-rich Terai region, he implemented innovative water recharge systems at the Gorakhnath Temple, where he serves as the Mahant of Gorakshapeeth," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Internal audit flags Rs 709 crore irregularities in Jal Shakti ministry schemes
An internal audit review of the Jal Shakti ministry for 2023-24 has flagged financial irregularities amounting to over Rs 709 crore across key water and sanitation schemes . The report highlighted blocked funds, unauthorised spending, idle machinery, and violations in procurement procedures. According to the Annual Internal Audit Review, Rs 525.96 crore worth of government funds remain blocked. These include unspent balances under the Atal Bhujal Yojana in Maharashtra and Haryana, as well as issues like excess expenditure, irregular expenditure in states such as Kerala and Bihar. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Has Honda Done It Again? The New Honda CR-V is Finally Here. TheFactualist Undo The audit also revealed Rs 23.56 crore in irregular expenditure, largely due to overspending beyond approved limits for administrative and IEC (Information, Education, Communication) activities under SBM-G. In multiple instances, funds were diverted for ineligible expenses, and several purchases were made without following government e-marketplace (GeM) or tender procedures, leading to further unauthorised purchases worth Rs 10.82 crore. Live Events The audit report said the non-recovery of government dues from central government department/state government/government bodies and private parties stood at Rs 19.05 crore. In total, the internal audit wing of the ministry reported financial irregularities worth Rs 70,925.02 lakh (Rs 709.25 crore) across its departments, including non-recovery of dues, irregular expenditures, and unutilized funds. Idle and damaged machinery valued at Rs 1.32 crore was also discovered lying unused across several field offices. At the end of the financial year, 3,752 audit paras remained outstanding, up from 3,417 the previous year - even after special camps were held in June and July 2023 to settle pending cases. In auditing, "audit paras" or "audit paragraphs" refer to specific findings or observations identified by auditors during an audit process. These are detailed statements that highlight irregularities, non-compliance, or areas needing improvement within an organization's operations or financial records. The Internal Audit Wing also cited staff shortages and lack of specialised training as key challenges, recommending targeted capacity building in risk-based audit methods to ensure more effective oversight in future. The total budget allocations for three schemes are Rs 7,192 crore for SBM-G, Rs 1,000 crore for Atal Bhujal Yojana, and Rs 500 crore for the National Hydrology Project.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Karnataka govt's decision to build check-dams, ponds pays off as they help improve groundwater recharge rate
Substantial investments in constructing water conservation structures (WCS) such as check-dams, lakes and tanks by Karnataka govt paid off BENGALURU: Substantial investments in constructing water conservation structures (WCS) such as check-dams , lakes and tanks paid off as they considerably helped recharge groundwater in 2024 after traditional recharge methods through rainfall, surface water and groundwater irrigation (SWI & GWI), failed. This, despite copious rain. Following drought in 2023, the groundwater recharge rate dropped by 3% in 2024 (compared to 2023) although reservoirs and water bodies were filled to the brim. Minor irrigation department data shows the state's groundwater recharge rate dropped from 18.9 ham (hectare meters) to 18.7 ham. The rate during both monsoon seasons also dropped from 10.34BCM (billion cubicmeters) to 10.3BCM — a first such decrease since 2022. 'Failure of both monsoons in 2023 and deficit rainfall until mid-2024 had a long-drawn impact on groundwater recharge,' said NS Boseraju, minister for minor irrigation. 'Even though Karnataka recorded bounteous rainfall in 2024, the onset of the monsoon was delayed, affecting recharge through rain. We hope rain towards the end of 2024improved the recharge rate. This data will reflect in the 2025 analysis.' In 2023, Karnataka recorded 872mm rainfall as against 1,100mm-1,200mm annual rainfall — a 24% deficit. An engineer from the irrigation department said: 'Data shows a 1% to 3% decrease in recharge rate depending on the source and type of recharge method.' Shrinking agricultural area also contributed to apoor recharge rate. 'Surface and groundwater irrigation methods hugely contribute to groundwater recharge. But surface water irrigation dropped by 1.8% and return flow from groundwater irrigation fell by 3.5%,' said another engineer. WCS to the rescue However, unlike traditional recharge methods, recharge through WCS improved considerably. Data shows that the recharge rate through WCS rose from 0.63BCM (2023) to 0.81BCM (2024) — a 28.6% rise. These structures were built under various schemes including Jal Jeevan Mission and Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY). The govt's move to desilt tanks and lakes, including under MGNREGA, also paid off handsomely. Boseraju said: 'In 2023, the state had only 1.9 lakh such structures, but their numbers increased to 3.1 lakh, a rise of 66%,' he said. 'The number of ponds and tanks also increased from 33,000 to 39,000 (18.7%). This helped increase the recharge rate by 10% compared to what it was in 2023.' Boseraju also said the govt ensured lakes were filled with river and treated water throughout the year (365 days) rather than only during the monsoon months (120 days).
Hans India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Naidu meets Union ministers, seeks Central aid for key projects
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday met four union ministers in New Delhi and discussed various state-related projects and central schemes. After concluding his foreign tour, the Chief Minister arrived in Delhi on Monday night and met the ministers to deliberate on multiple matters. The Chief Minister met Union Minister for Jal Shakti, CR Patil, and discussed allocation of central funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme. Expressing the State's intention to extensively implement this central scheme, Naidu emphasised the need for timely release of funds. He also briefed Patil about the proposed Polavaram-Banakacharla link project, which aims to make Andhra Pradesh drought-free, and sought support for the same. He outlined the benefits of the project and explained its significance. Additionally, discussions were held on the Atal Bhujal Yojana program, during which the Chief Minister reportedly highlighted the State government's initiatives to improve groundwater levels and sought central funding for the program. Later, Naidu met Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and discussed establishment of a High Court bench in Kurnool. He urged the Centre to initiate the necessary procedures and extend cooperation towards this. Subsequently, the Chief Minister met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and discussed challenges faced by the aqua sector in Andhra Pradesh due to the US tariffs. He pointed out that the 26 per cent tariff imposed on Indian seafood has severely impacted the State's aqua industry. Naidu urged Goyal to engage in dialogue with the US to safeguard the interests of aqua farmers and suggested short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures to address the issue. Finally, the Chief Minister met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of several key initiatives undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government. Naidu was accompanied by union ministers Rammohan Naidu and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and MPs from the State.
