Jal Jeevan Mission receives Rs 11,500 crore allocation in Budget 2020-21

Government allocates Rs 11,500 crore to Jal Jeevan Mission for 2020-21

In the budget 2020-21, the Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 11,500 crore to the Jal Jeevan Mission for the year for 2020-21.

The funds will be utilised to identify and create comprehensive measures for 100 water-stressed districts in the country.

Along with this, the steps to be undertaken for augmenting existing water resources, recharging of lakes, water desalination, rainwater harvesting as well as sewage water treatment will also be outlined. The Namami Gange has received an outlay of Rs 800 crore, which is an increase of 127 percent compared to the Revised Estimates (RE) last year, but is way less than what the government had allocated to the programme during previous years. (The Hindu, Down to Earth)

Government unveils 16-point action plan for agricultural sector in budget 2020

While presenting the budget 2020-21, the Finance Ministry has announced 16-point measures to revive the agricultural sector with an aim to double farmer's incomes by 2020. The government has allotted Rs 2.83 lakh crore for agriculture and irrigation this financial year, while Rs 1.23 lakh crore have been alloted to Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. The government has also asked states to adopt three central model laws on agricultural land leasing, marketing and contract farming. Further, farmers will be allowed to set up solar units on barren or fallow lands and 20 lakh farmers will be provided funds for setting up standalone solar pumps. (Business Today, Business Standard)

Swachh Bharat Mission and clean air allocated Rs 12,300 crores and Rs 4,400 crore, respectively

The government has allocated Rs 12,300 crores for Swachh Bharat Mission in the Budget 2020-21.

The focus for the mission this year would be on liquid and greywater management, solid waste collection, source segregation and processing along with making the country Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus in order to sustain ODF behaviour.

Also, to crack down rising pollution levels in larger cities, the government has allocated Rs 4,400 crore to clean air in cities with a population of over a million. (The Times of India, Business Insider)

Environment ministry seek views on banning RO purifiers

The environment ministry has issued a draft notification seeking views from stakeholders before banning Reverse Osmosis (RO) purifiers in areas where water supplied meets Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. The notification has been released in response to the order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to the Centre to prohibit the use of RO purifiers where the total dissolved solids (TDS) in water are below 500 milligrams per litre. Once the draft is finalised, the RO manufacturers will have to tweak their designs to meet the new parameters and Central Pollution Control Board will be the nodal agency for implementing the new rules.  (The Times of India, Livemint)

Centre approves Ujh multipurpose project in J&K

Centre has given its approval to Ujh multipurpose project, worth Rs 6,000 crore, to provide uninterrupted water for irrigation to farmers in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district and to produce power. At a high-level meeting, it was decided that the work for the Ujh multi-purpose project will start immediately and an appropriate mechanism will be developed to utilise the surplus water on the Indian side itself. The project which is expected to be completed in over six years, envisages to store around 781 million cubic meters of water from the river Ujh, a tributary of river Ravi. (Livemint)

This is a roundup of important policy matters from January 30 - February 7, 2020. Also, read news this week.