The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind confers the 3rd National Water Awards 2022 in New Delhi. The first National Water Award was launched in 2018, by the Jal Shakti Ministry. Water as a resource is crucial to India as India has more than 18% of the world’s population but it has only 4% of the world’s renewable water resources

During the ceremony of the 3rd National Water Awards, the President of India also launched Jal Shakti Abhiyaan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022.

Objective:

• National Water Award with the objectives of encouraging the stakeholders to adopt holistic approach towards water resources management in the country.
• It also, strives to create awareness among the people about the importance of water and attempts to motivate them to adopt best water usage practices.

Total 57 awards given by the Jal Shakti Ministry to the States, Organizations, Individuals etc. in 11 different categories –

Best State category:

• Uttar Pradesh has been awarded first prize, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Best District category:

• North zone Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) and Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Punjab);
• South zone Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh);
• East zone, East Champaran (Bihar) and Godda (Jharkhand);
• West zone Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Vadodara (Gujarat) and Banswara (Rajasthan)
• Northeast zone Goalpara (Assam) and Siang (Arunachal Pradesh)

Best Village Panchayat Category:

North Zone

• Dhaspad, Almora, Uttarakhand

South Zone

• Yelerampura Panchayat, Tumakuru District, Karnataka

Best Urban Local Body Category

• Vapi Urban Local Body, Gujarat
• Dapoli Nagar Panchayat, Maharashtra
• Madurai Municipal Corporation, Tamil Nadu

Best Institution/RWA/Religious organization for Campus usage Category

• Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu