Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY): Features, Eligibility and Benefits

Groundwater management can be a significant concern, as water is considered an essential natural resource across the globe. The Indian government took an initiative to address the long-term sustainability of groundwater in India by launching the Atal Bhujal Yojana. This scheme aims at strengthening the institutional framework for groundwater management in India.

Are you concerned with water scarcity issues in your surroundings? This article will give you every detail about the government's initiative to conserve and manage groundwater.

Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched the Atal Bhujal Yojana on 25th December 2019 to celebrate the 95th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It is an answer to a growing concern with groundwater and its scarcity across India.

The Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and the Ministry of Jal Shakti adopted an initiative for managing identified groundwater stressed blocks across seven states in India. These represent a range of climatic, geomorphic, hydrogeologic and cultural settings.

The government has invested about ₹600 crores, out of which ₹300 crores comes as a loan from the World Bank. The remaining fund comes from the Government of India (GoI). Thus, if you are wondering ‘what is Atal Bhujal Yojana?’, it is a government initiative to manage groundwater and improve water scarcity issues by avoiding its wastage in various parts of India.

The seven states covered under ABHY include Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In these states, the benefits of this scheme are likely to impact about 8,350 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts.

The primary objectives of Atal Bhujal Yojana are as follows.

• Institutional strengthening for handling groundwater monitoring networks
• Capacity building of stakeholders at different levels
• Enhancing groundwater data storage, analysis and dissemination
• Water budgeting based on an improved database
• Preparing community-led Water Security Plans at the Panchayat level
• Implementing Water Security Plans through latest Indian schemes
• Emphasising micro-irrigation, crop diversification, electricity feeder separation

The eligibility criteria of the Atal Bhujal Yojana is only limited to the states of India. This scheme covers about seven states, including Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These are areas prone to facing water scarcity issues. Therefore, the benefits of this scheme at present are only available to these.

The Atal Bhujal Yojana serves an essential purpose of looking after groundwater networks management and improving community participation against the same. It aims to use multiple interventions such as capacity building, awareness programmes, ongoing/new schemes, and improved agricultural practices to meet its goal. Check its following features to increase your Atal Bhujal Yojana insights.

1. Strengthening India’s Current Groundwater Governance

It is a prime focus of the Atal Bhujal Yojana scheme, and the government has invested about ₹1,400 crores for the same. It tries to strengthen India's current institutional arrangements for groundwater governance using a robust database. Government officials also focus on other factors, such as scientific approaches and community participation in the groundwater sector. Expenses of this scheme under Atal Bhujal Yojana includes the following.

• Training and capacity building for effective groundwater management at all levels
• Preparing Water Security Plans (WSPs) while engaging the District Implementation Partners (DIPs)
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), independent verification, audits, and program management

2. Incentivising the States for Improving Ground Water Management

It is another prominent feature of PM Atal Bhujal Yojana, and the government is spending nearly ₹4,600 crores on this. Funds are released to state agencies as a reward or incentive for the States/Districts/GPs. They receive these when they undertake proper measures for protecting and managing groundwater in their respective areas. The fund disbursement will depend on the states' performances against the standards of Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs).

3. Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs)

These refer to some result indicators connected to fund disbursement from the World Bank regarding the concerned states’ incentives. Once they achieve these indicators, they will be subject to receiving these incentives from the government. The five decided DLIs are listed below.

• Public disclosure of groundwater information (10% incentive)
• Preparation of Community-led Water Security Plans (15% incentive)
• Public financing of interventions through ongoing schemes (20% incentive)
• Adoption of practices for efficient water usage (40% incentive)
• Improvement in a decline of groundwater levels (15% incentive)

The scheme of Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) aims at curbing the water scarcity issue in various parts of India by initiating efficient water usage and improving groundwater networks. Thus, if you wonder about some specific benefits of this scheme, you can consider the following list.

• Encourage community participation towards protecting groundwater. 
• Rewards for states initiating efforts in groundwater management 
• Increase farmers’ income with incentives 
• Improvement in water use efficiency on a mass scale to avoid wastage 
• Improvement in cropping pattern 

Only the states coming under this scheme’s coverage will utilise its benefits. Suppose you are a resident or farmer within the specified 8350 Gram Panchayats in 78 districts under this scheme. In that case, you can contact your state agency to describe your community participation and contribution to groundwater management. Otherwise, you can also visit the contact us page on the website of ABHY and directly connect with the government officials dealing with this scheme.

Thus, hopefully, you have an overall understanding of the Atal Bhujal Yojana scheme and its benefits. Undoubtedly, it is a brave measure from the Indian government towards maintaining groundwater sustainability for a long time. Following these guidelines and increasing your community participation will earn you incentives and enable you to contribute to the environment.