On Friday, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union minister for water conservation, announced that Uttar Pradesh was the best state for water conservation efforts in 2020. Among the ten states recognized by the Ministry of Jal Shakti for their efforts to conserve water, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu ranked second and third, respectively.

According to the Minister for Jal Shakti, 1,000 billion cubic metres of water is needed each year by the country for agriculture, irrigation, industry, and domestic use.

"The usage of water is increasing but its availability is decreasing. Rainfall patterns are changing. By 2050, the demand for water would rise from 1,000 billion cubic metres to 1,400-1,500 billion cubic metres. So, we must move ahead with a positive attitude and take effective steps," Shekhawat said.

Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab received the best district award in the northern zone, followed by Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram and Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa were ranked as the best districts of the southern area. Among districts in the east zone, East Champaran in Bihar ranked first and Godda in Jharkhand ranked second, while Indore in Madhya Pradesh ranked first.

Vadodara in Gujarat, and Banswara in Rajasthan, took second place jointly. Arunachal Pradesh and Assam were recognized for their efforts in water conservation in the northeast zone.

The third National Water Award was given this year. In 2018, the Jal Shakti Ministry launched the National Water Award. Additionally, Indian start-ups and leading organizations are going to benefit from the National Water Awards by engaging and discussing with senior policy-makers the best water resource management practices.

State, private and public organizations have been given 57 awards under 11 different categories in recognition of the excellent work they have been doing in the field of water resources management by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Welspun India Textile Ltd Gujarat (first), Hyundai Motor India Ltd Tamil Nadu (second), and jointly the Punjab steel company Trident (Textile) Ltd and the New Delhi steel company Steel Authority of India Ltd took home the medals for the best industry category.

As part of the best NGO category, Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, Ahmedabad, Vivekananda Kendra NARDEP, Kanyakumari, Gramvikas Sanstha, Aurangabad and Vivekananda Research and Training Institute, Bhavnagar earned first, second and third positions, respectively.

The Best Industry for CSR activities were awarded to ITC Limited in Kolkata, West Bengal; Adani Foundation in Gujarat; HAL in Bengaluru, Karnataka; and Dharampal Satyapal Ltd. in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Image source: Economic times