Parliament Question: Status 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. 2162 ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026 STATUS AND EXPANSION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA

2162. SHRI Y S AVINASH REDDY:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the current status of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) including the number of States and districts covered and the funds allocated and utilized thereon;

(b) whether the Government has any plans to extend ABY to other States facing groundwater scarcity and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the Government’s assessment of the impact of ABY on groundwater management in the pilot States? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)

(a) Atal Bhujal Yojana was a pilot scheme for community led participatory groundwater management implemented in priority water stressed areas across 8,203 priority water stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 blocks in 80 districts of seven states viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. During its course, the programme has demonstrably improved groundwater management through active community participation, preparation of participatory Water Security Plans, adoption of water efficient practices, community-led monitoring, and implementation of recharge structures.

The total amount of funds released and utilised, State-wise, as on 09.02.2026 under Atal Bhujal Yojana is provided in Annexure.

(b) Atal Bhujal Yojana was a pilot programme conceived with a fixed duration & outlay which has successfully demonstrated the efficacy of community centred ground water management and provided a replicable model which can be taken up for implementation by other States.

(c) Overall Impact Assessment Study of Atal Bhujal Yojana has been conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI). On the basis of detailed field surveys in the scheme implementation areas and interactions with local communities, the study has recognized important changes brought about by the scheme, like enhanced community awareness on ground water issues through capacity building and IEC activities, women's participation in leadership and decision making in groundwater management, social inclusivity and overall knowledge enhancement and willingness of the community to partake in groundwater conservation and water management.

*** 1ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2162 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 12.02.2026 REGARDING “STATUS AND EXPANSION OF ATAL BHUJAL YOJANA”. (Amount In Rs. Crores) State Funds released/ assigned Funds utilized (till 09.02.2026) (till 09.02.2026) Gujarat 623.44 539.08 Haryana 731.56 652.64 Karnataka 940.98 894.77 Madhya Pradesh 229.39 197.47 Maharashtra 671.87 627.14 Rajasthan 518.77 487.68 Uttar Pradesh 274.17 227.90 Total 3990.18 3626.68 ***** 2