Parliament Question: Implementation and Expansion of Atal Bhujal Yojana

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3191 ANSWERED ON 07.08.2025 IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPANSION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA 3191. DR. BYREDDY SHABARI Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) the details of the projects being undertaken under the Atal Bhujal Yojana in the currently selected States including their present status of implementation, State/UT-wise; (b) the total funds allocated, released and utilised in each of these States since the inception of the Yojana, year-wise; (c) the measurable impact of the scheme on groundwater recharge, water table levels and local water conservation practices, State/UT-wise; (d) whether the Government has identified any innovative models or best practices from these States that may be replicated in other regions and if so, the details thereof; and (e) whether the Government proposes to expand the Atal Bhujal Yojana to other waterstressed districts and States across the country and if so, the details thereof along with the timeline and criteria set for such expansion? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) Atal Bhujal Yojana, is a community led participatory ground water management scheme focusing on demand side management of ground water, being implemented in 80 water stressed districts in 7 States. Major activities/works undertaken under the Scheme are mentioned below:  Measurement and public disclosure of groundwater data has been made across all 8,203 Atal Jal Gram Panchayats (GPs) of all 7 states through physical as well as electronic means.  Community-led Water Budgets (WBs) and Water Security Plans (WSPs) have been prepared by all GPs of all 7 states and updated annually.  More than 1.25 lakh GP-level trainings have been conducted, alongside Block, District and State- level capacity-building trainings. 1 Piezometers along with Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) and Rain Gauges have been installed in almost all GPs under the Yojana.  Around 81,700 supply-side structures like check dams, ponds, recharge shafts/pits etc. have been constructed/renovated for water conservation and groundwater recharge across 7 states.  Around 9 lakh hectares have been brought under efficient water-use practices (drip/sprinkler irrigation, mulching, crop diversification, etc.) across 7 states. (b) Atal Bhujal Yojana is a Program for Results scheme and allocation of funds is based on the performance of the participating States under various indicators. Further, the funds are fungible and allocation can be moved from under-performing to better performing states. The total amount of funds released and utilised, state-wise, as on 31.03.2025 under Atal Bhujal Yojana is provided in Annexure – I. (c) Arresting the decline of ground water levels is one of the important performance indicators under Atal Bhujal Yojana. The scheme is being implemented in 229 Blocks of 7 States and as per the assessment conducted, out of 229 Blocks, totally 83 Blocks have shown improvement in ground water levels as detailed in Annexure –II. Under the Atal Bhujal Yojana, due importance is given to various local water conservation structures/ practises, as they represent traditional knowledge and are also best suited for local terrain and climatic conditions. The practice of constructing traditional structures like Gokatte, Bawdi, Johad, Tanka, Kalyani, Diggi, etc. has been revived and further strengthened. (d) Under Atal Bhujal Yojana, the participating states have adopted some innovative models which have proven to be quite impactful in terms of awareness creation, capacity building and efficient utilization of water. Some of the best practices, which have been identified, documented and publicized for replication and scaling up in other parts of the country are given below:  Gujarat: Use of mobile van for groundwater quality training at Panchayat, Taluka, and District levels. Farmers bring borewell samples for on-the-spot testing, enabling immediate, informed decisions.  Karnataka: Use of IoT-based ‘FASAL & Phyllo’ systems in Chikkaballapura& Bengaluru Rural for cultivation of grapes, pomegranates, and roses. These use soil sensors, weather data, and pest prediction to optimize irrigation, saving 20-40% water through precision farming.  Maharashtra: Creation of Groundwater Information Dissemination Centre (GIDC), which is a Panchayat-level community-centric knowledge hub providing groundwater data, water budgets, and scheme updates, helping communities make informed water management decisions. 2 Rajasthan: A holistic Water-Saving poly-house Model has been developed which integrates several key water conservation elements like poly-house, farm pond, solar pump and micro- irrigation. Apart from enabling efficient water use, this model supports year-round high-value crop cultivation, helping the farmers by way of increased yields, reduced input costs, and improved incomes.  Madhya Pradesh: Jal Saksharta Rath campaign covered 670 Gram Panchayats across 6 districts, simplifying technical knowledge on piezometers, rain gauges, and water flow meters for communities and students. By blending technical literacy with transparency in digital data, the initiative strengthened local leadership and set a model for community participation in water governance.  Haryana: the state has deployed the innovative system called IISIF (Irrigation Intelligence Software for Irrigation Forecasting), which optimizes water use by leveraging satellite, weather, soil, and crop data. It provides personalized irrigation and pest advisories via a mobile/web app, enhancing productivity and sustainability.  Uttar Pradesh: "Know Your GP" initiative, which assigns QR codes to Panchayats, offering real- time groundwater data, water budgets, existing water conservation structures, and real-time updates on ongoing interventions, thus, promoting transparency and community involvement. (e) Atal Bhujal Yojana is a pilot project for participatory ground water management with a fixed duration & outlay. Currently, the project is under impact assessment stage. *** 3ANNEXURE-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3191 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2025 REGARDING “IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPANSION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA”. (amount in Rs. Crores) State Released Utilised Gujarat 595.57 470.61 Haryana 753.00 620.48 Karnataka 903.21 831.71 Madhya Pradesh 211.75 193.89 Maharashtra 643.82 609.59 Rajasthan 489.50 484.79 Uttar Pradesh 264.83 207.13 Total 3861.68 3418.20 4ANNEXURE-II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3191 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 07.08.2025 REGARDING “IMPLEMENTATION AND EXPANSION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA”. States Total Blocks Number of Blocks in which Ground Water Level has shown improvement Gujarat 36 13 Haryana 36 14 Karnataka 41 20 Madhya Pradesh 9 4 Maharashtra 43 14 Rajasthan 38 13 Uttar Pradesh 26 5 Grand Total 229 83 ***** 5