Around 40,000 water bodies have been developed under the Mission Amrit Sarovar in the last 11 months, achieving around 80 per cent of the target under the scheme, the Rural Development Ministry said on Friday.

The Mission launched by PM Narendra Modi on April 24 last year aims at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of the country as part of the "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav".

The total number of Amrit Sarovars to be developed under the scheme is around 50,000, which was set to be completed by August 15 this year.

"Within a short span of 11 months, more than 40,000 Amrit Sarovars have been constructed, which constitutes 80 percent of the total target," the ministry said in a statement.

Taking people's participation as an important component under the scheme, 54,088 user groups were formed for developing the Amrit Sarovars.

"These user groups are fully involved during the entire process of development of Amrit Sarovar viz feasibility assessment, execution and its utilisation.

"States/UTs are leveraging the participation of freedom fighters, eldest members of panchayats, family members of freedom fighters and martyrs, Padma Awardees, etc. For purposes like laying of foundation stone of the designated Amrit Sarovar sites, flag hoisting on important dates like 26th January and 15th August," the ministry said.

So far, 1,784 freedom fighters, 18,173 eldest members of panchayats, 448 family members of freedom fighters, 684 family members of martyrs and 56 Padma Awardees have participated in the Mission.

Notably, six Central ministries -- Rural Development, Railways, Road Transport and Highways, Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, and Environment, Forest and Climate Change, are working on the Mission along with technical organisations like the Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG-N), and all States/UT governments.

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