PM Modi launches Jal Jan Abhiyan, saying citizens must all share responsibility for water conservation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday essentially inaugurated ‘Jal Jan Abhiyan,’ a joint national campaign of Brahma Kumaris and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, highlighting water security as a significant concern for India. The Sirohi district of Rajasthan hosted the event.

PM Modi referred to the issue of water scarcity as a global problem and said that people needed to understand how serious it is and how scarce water resources are globally. He continued by saying that protecting water resources is a shared obligation.

‘Due to such a large population, water security is an important concern for India. It is a shared responsibility of all of us,’ he said.

He also discussed significant problems for the nation, citing groundwater depletion and water pollution as examples. In order to combat water pollution and advance water security, he urged citizens to act now.

PM Modi further said, ‘There shall be a tomorrow only if there is water, and for this, we have to make joint efforts from today.’

‘We will have to generate faith in the value of water conservation among the people of the country,’ said PM Modi.

In his speech, Prime Minister Modi recalled that Indians have long referred to rivers as ‘mothers,’ noting that ‘water conservation has been a part of India’s spirituality for thousands of years.’ He continued, ‘Therefore we term water as a god, call rivers mother.’

PM Modi continued by stating that there has been opposition to issues like environmental protection and water conservation over the past few decades. He stated that ‘some people had assumed that these tasks were so enormous that they could not be tackled at all.’

He cited the Namami Gange river conservation scheme as an illustration and said, ‘But in the last eight or nine years, the country has changed this mindset, and the conditions have also changed.’ He continued by saying that the plan has served as a model for other schemes.

Millets should be a part of our diet, PM Modi suggested while promoting the International Year of Millets. He emphasised how little water is needed to grow millet.