Jal Shakti ministry to host 'Vision for Sujalam Bharat' summit in Delhi from Nov 28

New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil will inaugurate the 'Vision for Sujalam Bharat' Summit 2025 on Friday, where the Centre will outline its roadmap for a water-secure and climate-resilient India.
     The two-day summit, organised as part of NITI Aayog's series of six departmental thematic conferences, will bring together senior officials from the Centre and states, technical experts, water sector practitioners, community institutions and award-winning grassroots organisations.
     The event aims to sharpen coordination between policymakers and frontline workers to strengthen water governance across the country, the Jal Shakti ministry said in a statement.
     The ministry said the initiative is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call at the Fourth National Conference of Chief Secretaries for evidence-based policymaking and deeper Centre-state collaboration. The water sector theme under the Sujalam Bharat framework covers river rejuvenation, drinking water security, sanitation, groundwater management, irrigation efficiency and integrated rural-urban water systems.
     Ahead of the summit, the ministry said it conducted extensive consultations between September and October, holding six thematic workshops that drew over 2,800 participants from nearly all states and Union Territories.
     Officials, engineers, technical experts, Panchayati Raj representatives, self-help groups and NGOs shared field-level experiences on challenges ranging from dry river stretches and declining aquifers to urban wastewater loads and drinking water vulnerabilities.
     Workshops focused on river and spring rejuvenation, greywater reuse, water-efficient technologies, conservation and recharge, drinking water sustainability and community-led behaviour change.
     Insights from these consultations have been compiled into a national report highlighting five priorities -- strengthening source sustainability, boosting groundwater recharge, expanding modern and nature-based solutions, revitalising community institutions and deepening inter-departmental convergence, it said.
     Deliberations at the summit will now examine these recommendations to shape a unified national strategy.
     The ministry said the exercise marks one of the largest multi-level engagements in the water sector, bringing together Central and State secretaries, engineers, district administrators, VWSC members and recipients of the National Water Awards and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)