New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The Jal Shakti Ministry is inviting applications till August 28 for the 7th National Water Awards on the Rashtriya Puraskar portal to honour States, Districts, Urban Local Bodies, Dam Owning Agencies and Industries which excel in water conservation and management, an official said on Friday.

An official statement said that all applications received for the 7th National Water Awards would be scrutinised/shortlisted by a Screening Committee, and shortlisted applications would be placed before the Jury Committee constituted by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The recommendations of the Committee would be submitted to the Minister (Jal Shakti) for approval, said the statement.

Each winner would be provided a trophy with a citation, it said.

In the category for states, there will be three winners in each of three sub-categories: Water Resource Management; Jal Sanchay Jal Bhagidari and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

For the competing districts, there will be 15 awards in each of the three sub-categories: Water Resource Management; Jal Sanchay Jal Bhagidari (JSJB) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The National Water Awards (NWAs) were introduced to recognise and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals and organisations across the country in accomplishing the government’s vision ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’.

The NWAs aim to sensitise the public about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt the best water usage practices, said the statement.

The Awards encourage the stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach toward water resource management in the country as surface water and groundwater play a significant role in the water cycle.

The first edition of the National Water Awards was introduced in 2018 by the Department, and six editions of the Awards have been successfully organised by the Department, said the statement.

–IANS

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