‘Water’ is a state subject and the responsibility of proper management of ground water resources lies primarily with the concerned state governments. The Central government complements the efforts of the states by providing technical and financial assistance through its various schemes and projects. In this direction, the important steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and other central ministries for sustainable management of ground water resources in the country, through active community participation are provided below: Atal Bhujal Yojana A Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Jan Shakthi emphasising on community led participatory management of ground water resources. This is a first of its kind scheme to focus both on demand and supply side interventions for conservation of groundwater and entails capacity building at the grassroots level for decentralized and more efficient water governance. Atal Bhujal Yojana is being implemented in 8,203 priority Gram Panchayats(GPs) across 7 States, viz. Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, on pilot basis. The States/GPs were selected based on a number of criteria including degree of groundwater exploitation and degradation, established legal and regulatory mechanisms, institutional readiness, experience in implementing initiatives related to groundwater management and willingness to participate. Final selection of GPs has been made by respective state governments only, considering administrative feasibility and maximization of scheme effectiveness. Atal Bhujal Yojana is being implemented at Gram Panchayat level, and therefore, all villages falling within a Gram Panchayat are covered under the scheme. Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 which is a mission mode and time bound programme for harvesting the rainfall and taking up water conservation and ground water recharge activities, through active community involvement. More than 700 Jal Shakti Kendras (JSKs) have been set up under Abhiyan in various districts of the country for interacting with local community and dissemination of water related knowledge. To further strengthen the momentum of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari has been launched, which emphasizes the importance of Jan Bhagidari or peoples’ participation in water conservation with the aim to have a special focus on the construction of low cost and locally suited artificial recharge structures/borewell recharge shafts, which will increase storage capacity & help to augment groundwater recharge. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Moreover, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under this Ministry, organizes various Public Interaction Programs (PIP) and Mass Awareness Programs (MAP), on local ground water issues, educating the public about importance of ground water recharge and promoting sustainable practices for ground water management. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), key interventions like construction of farm ponds, check dams, percolation tanks, contour trenches, and rejuvenation of traditional water bodies are taken up with an objective to enhance water availability and aquifer recharge. Approximately 60% of the resources are spent on Natural Resource Management (NRM) of which these water conservation and recharge activities are a major component. MGNREGS Mission Amrit Sarovar Mission Amrit Sarovar was launched on April 24, 2022, to construct/ rejuvenate 75 Sarovars in each rural district, targeting 50,000 Sarovars by August 15, 2023. As of October 2024, under phase I of Mission Amrit Sarovar, over 68,000 Sarovars are constructed/rejuvenated, surpassing the original target.