nAs promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the election campaign, a new “Jal Shakti” Ministry, in which the erstwhile ministries of Water Resources and Drinking Water and Sanitation will be merged, has been formed with Member of Parliament of Jodhpur Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at its helm.
Rattan Lal Kataria was named Minister of State in the Ministry. The Jal Shakti ministry is the latest entrant in the long list of Ministries of the Government of India. Shekhawat had defeated the son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
During the canvassing phase of the recently-held general elections, Modi had promised to provide clean potable water to every household in the country within the next five years. The saffron party also reiterated that promise in its election manifesto and emphasised on creating a new ministry in order to achieve that goal. The idea of creating the Jal Shakti Ministry was conceptualised by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for linking rivers from different parts of the country and ensure a solution to the problems of drinking water and irrigation. The BJP promised that it will launch 'Jal Jivan Mission' under which a special programme 'Nal se Jal' will be introduced. Under this programme, the Government hopes to ensure the supply of piped water to every household by 2024.
The newly-formed Ministry will also focus on ensuring the sustainability of water supply through a special focus on the conservation of rural water bodies and groundwater recharge.
The flagship Swachh Bharat mission is also likely to get a renewed push with far greater attention to water access.