New Delhi: Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri CR Paatil, announced the winners of the 5th National Water Awards today at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi. The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti revealed a total of 38 winners, including joint winners, across nine categories, namely: Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best School or College, Best Industry, Best Water User Association, Best Institution (other than school or college), and Best Civil Society. A complete list of winners has been annexed.
In the Best State category, Odisha secured the first position, followed by Uttar Pradesh in second place, while Gujarat and Puducherry jointly took the third position. All award winners will receive a citation, trophy, and cash prizes in select categories.
The award distribution ceremony for the 5th National Water Awards will be held on 22nd October 2024, at 11:00 AM at Vigyan Bhawan’s Plenary Hall, New Delhi. Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, will be the Chief Guest at the event.
Also attending the announcement of the National Water Awards were Hon’ble Ministers of State for the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Shri Raj Bhushan Chaudhary and Shri V Somanna, Secretary Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Smt Vini Mahajan, Secretary DoWR, RD & GR, Smt Debashree Mukherjee, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti, under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister, has been actively promoting water management and conservation at a national level. In alignment with this vision, the National Water Awards were initiated in 2018 to raise awareness about water conservation and motivate people to adopt best practices in water usage. The awards for the years 2019, 2020, and 2022 have been previously conferred, with the exception of 2021, when they were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the year 2023, the 5th National Water Awards were launched on 13th October 2023 via the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). A total of 686 applications were received and evaluated by a Jury Committee. The ground verification of shortlisted entries was conducted by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), leading to the selection of 38 winners across the nine categories.
The National Water Awards (NWAs) emphasize the efforts made by individuals and organizations to fulfill the government’s vision of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’. These awards aim to create awareness about the significance of water conservation and foster collaboration between the public and organizations in water resource management activities.
