What Is Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)?
The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY), also known as the Atal Jal Yojana is a scheme launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on 25th December 2019. This scheme is related to groundwater management in the country. The main purpose of this scheme is to improve the management of groundwater in India.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)
The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) is targeted at the sustainable management of groundwater mainly via convergence among the other ongoing schemes with the active participation of the local communities and stakeholders as well. The funds collected by the State Governments and the Central Government will be spent judiciously and will ensure the long term sustainability of different resources of groundwater. This scheme was implemented as a pilot with the main objective to strengthen the institutional framework for the participation of local communities in groundwater management.
The Government of India has introduced the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) to acknowledge and contain the ever-growing problem of depletion of groundwater sources in the country. The scheme was announced after it got financial approval from the World Bank in the year 2018 and was launched under the Jal Jeevan Mission of the Government of India.
What Are The Main Objectives Of The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)?
The main aim of this scheme is to lay emphasis on recharging the groundwater resources and also improving the exploitation of the same, with the active participation of the local communities. The main objectives of this scheme are mentioned below:
- It will be implemented and will be looked over by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. It is now known as the Jal Shakti Ministry.
- Also, half of the cost of this scheme will be taken by the Government of India while the other half will be funded by the World Bank in the form of a loan.
- There would be active participation of the local communities and it is also planned that the Government will be giving 50% of the money to the Gram Panchayats and different states as incentives for achieving the targets of the groundwater management.
- This scheme is taken by 8353 water-stressed Gram Panchayats of Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- The scheme aims at the management of groundwater sources in the priority areas in the country with the help of the participation of the community.
- These 7 states represent around 25% of the total number of over-exploited critical and semi-critical blocks in terms of groundwater in the country.
The areas and their tentative financial allocations are mentioned below in the table:
| Sl.No. | State | Districts | Blocks | GPs |
| 1 | Gujarat | 6 | 24 | 1,816 |
| 2 | Haryana | 13 | 36 | 1,895 |
| 3 | Karnataka | 14 | 41 | 1,199 |
| 4 | Madhya Pradesh | 5 | 9 | 678 |
| 5 | Maharashtra | 13 | 35 | 1,339 |
| 6 | Rajasthan | 17 | 22 | 876 |
| 7 | Uttar Pradesh | 10 | 26 | 550 |
| TOTAL | 78 | 193 | 8,353 |
What Is The Scope Of The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)?
This scheme mainly focuses on the following four critical issues that are related to groundwater management:
- Enhancement of the groundwater recharge.
- State-specific institutional frameworks for sustainable management of groundwater.
- Improvement of the water use efficiency
- Strengthening of the community-based institutions in order to foster groundwater management.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY) FAQs
What is the main goal of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)?
The main goal of this mission is to demonstrate the community-led sustainable management of groundwater.
What is the funding of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY)?
The funding is around Rs. 6000 crores of which Rs 3000 crores will be a loan from the World Bank.
What is the problem of groundwater management in India?
In India, around 80% of the domestic water supplies rely on groundwater and the sources of groundwater are thus, exploited.
