Maharashtra government's flagship Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan (water conservation) project and a slew of other water management initiatives have attracted the Centre's attention.
The Prime Minister's office has asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to make a comprehensive presentation at the Niti Aayog's 5th Governing Council meeting to be chaired by PM Narendra Modi on June 15. The drought situation and relief measures by states is part of the agenda.
A senior state government official told DNA, "Through initiatives such as the Jalyukt Shivar water conservation scheme, the government has already made 16,000 villages free of water scarcity. Thirty-four lakh hectares of land has been brought under irrigation. Micro-irrigation facilities have increased three times in the state. Through the Nanaji Deshmukh Krushi Sanjivani project, the government is working on providing sustainable irrigation in 4,000 villages.''