Rajasthan to launch 'Water Self-Reliance' campaign on Jan 26

Rajasthan Minister Kiran Maheshwari today said that 'Chief Minister Water Self-Reliance' campaign would be launched on January 26 next year to create awareness among people in rural areas to revive, save and conserve water bodies in the state.
About 3,000 villages have been identified for the first phase of the 'Chief Minister Water Self-Reliance' campaign to be launched on January 26 next year in collaboration with NGOs, religious and social organisations, the Rajasthan Public Health and Engineering Department Minister said.
In the second phase of the campaign, 6,000 more villages would be included so that the concept of self-reliance in water gets evolved in the minds of people, Maheshwari said while chairing a state level Group of Ministers meeting at the Secretariat here.

Quoting Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's mission of "Jal hai to kal hai" (if water is there, tomorrow is there), she said, "Water in villages should be restricted to the villages, and urban water in urban areas. Old water bodies or reservoirs should be renovated and the process of water storing and harvesting should be initiated."
Speaking on the occasion, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Surendra Goyal said that elected representatives and heads of Panchayat including Sarpanch, Panch, Pradhan, and Zila Parishad members would be asked to join the mission to ensure its success on the ground.
Water Resources Minister Rampratap said, efforts would be made to seek support of women and youths for the ambitious drive so that rallies, meetings and poster campaign be launched to make public aware of the importance of water.

The other ministers who spoke on occasion include, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Arun Chaturvedi and Forest, Environment and Mines Minister Rajkumar Rinwa.