The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has initiated the process of inviting applications for the 5th National Water Award, 2023, on the National Award Portal. All applications for these awards will be received through the online National Award Portal at https://awards.gov.in/Home/Awardpedia. The applicants can visit this portal or the website of this department (www.jalshakti-dowr.gov.in). The deadline for submitting applications is December 15, 2023.
Sharing more details about eligibility for the awards, an official spokesperson said that individuals engaged in commendable work in the field of water conservation and management, including any state, district, village panchayat, urban local body, school/college, institution (other than school/college), industry, civic society, water user association, or water conservation and management, are eligible to apply.
The spokesperson further shared that the winners of the ‘Best State’ and ‘Best District’ categories will be honored with trophies and certificates of merit. In the remaining categories – ‘Best Village Panchayat,’ ‘Best Urban Local Body,’ ‘Best School/College,’ ‘Best Institution (other than school/college),’ ‘Best Industry,’ ‘Best Civic Society,’ ‘Best Water User Association,’ and ‘Best Individual for Excellence’ – the winners will be honored with cash awards along with trophies and certificates of merit. The cash awards for the first, second, and third winners are Rs. 2 lakh, Rs.1.5 lakh, and Rs. 1 lakh, respectively.
The spokesperson shared that all applications received for the National Water Awards (NWA) will be screened by a screening committee of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Conservation. The shortlisted applications will be presented before a jury committee chaired by a secretary-level officer.
Subsequently, the applications of the shortlisted candidates will be scrutinized by organizations of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, namely the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The jury committee will assess the applications based on the report and recommend the winners. The recommendations of the committee will be submitted to the Union Minister (Jal Shakti) for approval. The announcement of the winners’ names will be made on a suitable date, followed by the organization of the award distribution ceremony.
The spokesperson shared that the initiation of the National Water Awards (NWA) aligns with the government’s perspective to recognize and encourage commendable efforts and initiatives undertaken across the country by states, districts, individuals, organizations, etc., to fulfill the vision of ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’. The objective is to make the public aware of the importance of water and inspire them to adopt best water-use practices.
The aim of the National Water Awards is to encourage stakeholders to adopt a comprehensive perspective on water resource management in the country, as surface water and groundwater play a crucial role in the water cycle. To achieve these objectives, the first National Water Awards were initiated in 2018, recognizing 82 winners in 14 categories, informed the spokesperson.
