Centre may replicate MJSA model, Vedire called for presentation
Government of India is likely to replicate Rajasthan’s Mukya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (MJSA) model across the country.
Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning Authority (RRBWRPA) chairman Sriram Vedire said Rajasthan has been invited to give a presentation on MJSA in a meeting at Delhi on September 18. The agriculture department has called a meeting of chief secretaries and agriculture secretaries from all states to discuss on forthcoming Rabi season at Delhi.
In second week of October, NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar has called a meeting of secretaries of mainline departments including watershed, panchayati raj, water resources, forest, rural development, agriculture, horticulture, PHED and ground water in Delhi in which Rajasthan has again been invited to give a presentation on MJSA.
Presentation of MJSA in these meetings indicates that MJSA model which has proved successful in the desert state will be implemented throughout the country under the name of Pradhan Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (PMJSA).
MJSA was launched in January 2016 to make villages self-reliant on water issues. The project envisages bringing together the operations undertaken by multiple departments working for conservation and storage of water, both under and above the ground.
Vedire said, “Transparent system, scientific monitoring, participation of public and other systems have inspired the Government of India to launch PMJSA at the country level.”
Vedire said MJSA was launched in Rajasthan in January 2016 and so far three phases have been completed and fourth phase will start in next 15 days.
He was addressing a team of national and state level media persons at Udaipur on September 13 at Town Hall. The team was taken on a two-day visit to Udaipur to show the work done in villages and forest areas under MJSA in Phase 3.
Total 3,529 villages were covered in MJSA phase 1, in which 95,036 water conservation works were completed and 28 lakh sap- lings were planted. Similarly, in MJSA phase 2, 4,213 villages were covered and more than 1.29 lakh water conservation works completed and 60 lakh saplings were planted, and in the third phase of MJSA, 4,306 villages were covered in which more than 1.55 lakh works were done and 60 lakh saplings planted. The survival of plants has been 90%.
A government report to assess the impact of the scheme, after the first phase, had recorded an average rise of 4.66 feet of groundwater level in 21 non-desert districts of Rajasthan.
Along with Vedire, Udaipur district collector Vishnu Charan Malik and other officials explained about the various works undertaken in the village under MJSA phase 3.
Later, the media team was taken to Devad village in Jhallara panchayat samiti, around 120km from Udaipur.
Vedire said that 16 mini percolation tanks (MPT), staggered trenches, contour trenches have been constructed in 75 hectare area at Devad village and ground water level has increased during the recent monsoon.
Villager Durjan Singh Chauhan said, “At least this government has thought of increasing the groundwater level. Earlier during rains, the water was just wasted, but now it will seep into the ground and increase the water level.
Another villager Vijay Lal Meena said, “With increase in water level, there will be water in wells that in turn will prevent crops from wilting as land will have more moisture.” Mahendra Singh Bhopawat, another villager, said MPTs have helped in farming. Earlier, during summers, water was supplied through tankers, but now with MPTs, there is no need for them.