What are the salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched by the Government of India for water conservation and water security?
Approach · directive: “what”
What it asks · State the objective, coverage, target interventions, delivery method and later extension of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
Open with · Jal Shakti Abhiyan, begun on 1 July 2019, is a citizen-participation campaign for water conservation and water security, meant to become a jan-andolan like Swachh Bharat.
Cover
- Focus: 1,592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts, where teams of central officers work with the district administration.
- Two phases in 2019: 1 July to 15 September in the monsoon season, and 1 October to 30 November for states receiving the North East retreating monsoon.
- Five target interventions: conservation and rainwater harvesting; renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks; reuse and borewell recharge structures; watershed development; intensive afforestation.
- Delivery: a collaborative effort of Union ministries and state governments, coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, with block and district water conservation plans.
- Supporting steps: efficient irrigation and better crop choices promoted through Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and a large communications campaign to involve citizens.
- Later phase: from 2021 the campaign continued as Catch the Rain, covering all districts, rural and urban.
- Links: complements the Jal Jeevan Mission (tap water for rural homes) and the Atal Bhujal Yojana (community groundwater management).
Close with · JSA works when conservation becomes local: recharge, reuse and community ownership build water security where the rain falls.
Add value (verified)
- The Ministry's launch note gives the campaign's scale and its five interventions in its own words. Jal Shakti Abhiyan for Water Conservation Launched, Ministry of Jal Shakti, PIB (1 July 2019) ↗“teams of officers from the central government will visit and work with district administration in 1592 water stressed blocks in 256 districts, to ensure five important water conservation interventions”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2020, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 211 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), launched on 1 July 2019, is a time-bound campaign to make water conservation and water security a people's movement, on the lines of Swachh Bharat, in the most water-stressed parts of the country.
Coverage and timing
- Focus on 1,592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts, where teams of central officers work with the district administration.
- Two phases in 2019: 1 July to 15 September during the monsoon, and 1 October to 30 November for states that receive the retreating north-east monsoon.
Five interventions
- Water conservation and rainwater harvesting; renovation of traditional water bodies and tanks; reuse of water and recharge structures for borewells; watershed development; intensive afforestation.
Delivery
- A collaborative effort of Union ministries and state governments, coordinated by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, with block and district water conservation plans.
- Krishi Vigyan Kendras promote efficient irrigation and better crop choices, and a large communication campaign draws citizens in.
Later phases and links
- From 2021 the campaign continued as JSA: Catch the Rain, covering all districts, rural and urban.
- It complements the Jal Jeevan Mission (tap water for rural homes) and the Atal Bhujal Yojana (community groundwater management).
JSA works when conservation becomes local: recharge, reuse and community ownership build water security where the rain falls.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.