What’s Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan 2.0? Maharashtra’s key drought administration plan
4 min learnMar 8, 2026 07:37 PM IST
The Maharashtra authorities has as soon as once more turned its give attention to its flagship mission Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan 2.0 in its 2026-’27 price range, with drought-like conditions predicted within the coming months. A relook at Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan 2.0.
What’s Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan?
The state authorities needs a complete and efficient water administration in susceptible districts which might be drought inclined or perennially come below rainshadow areas. In Maharashtra, there are 25,000 villages out of whole 40,913 which might be broadly below drought inclined class. Among the many worst hit are 14 districts dotted throughout Marathwada and Vidarbha areas.
How does it work?
The scheme — Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan 1.0, was launched on January 26, 2015 through the first tenure of Fadnavis as chief minister, by shortlisting 25,000 villages reeling below drought. A number of water conservation and administration initiatives are taken up at taluka ranges with an goal of serving to the villages tide over drought. Step by step, the scheme centered on making villages water-self-reliant. To attain these targets, water constructions revival and development had been allowed.
The second part has a stricter regulatory mechanism to cease senseless mining of underground water by borewells. Emphasis may even be on selling crop diversification by dissauding farmers in drought-prone areas from taking excessive water intense crops resembling sugarcane, and inspiring cultivation of millets. Farmers are inspired to undertake drip irrigation and splinker in fields to keep away from waste of water.
Why was JSA stopped throughout MVA govt?
In 2019, the MahaVikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities led by then CM Uddhav Thackeray flagged considerations following findings by the Comptroller and Auditor Basic that the scheme had made little affect, and stalled the scheme between 2019 and 2022. After Mahayuti got here to energy with Eknath Shinde because the chief minister, JSY was revived however not with the identical zeal. After the 2024 Meeting elections, Fadnavis, as CM once more, introduced JSA 2.0 to perform the mission of constructing Maharashtra drought-free.
What had been the CAG findings and the controversy?
The CAG report tabled in 2020 acknowledged that regardless of spending Rs 9,633.75 crore, JSA has made little affect and failed in attaining the target of water neutrality and elevating floor water degree. It identified lack of transparency in 83 villages out of 120 chosen for the examine, arguing that water storage was not enough to fulfill village water requirement.
Nonetheless, the Maharashtra authorities’s Financial Survey 2019-20, offered within the Meeting in March 2020 acknowledged, “The Jalyukta Shivar has helped to make 19,655 villages out of 25,000 villages drought free previously 5 years. However 5,345 failed to fulfill the achievements. Below this mission, 6.28 lakh works had been accomplished, incurring a complete expenditure of Rs 9,488 crore.”
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Why Fadnavis depends on JSA ?
Fadnavis strongly underlined that the success of this scheme lies within the overwhelming help from folks and that it was a folks’s motion throughout 2015-2018. The state financial survey reveals in first part the folks’s contribution to JSA in 5 years resulted in completion of 10,718 works. The quantity contributed by folks donation is Rs 617.67 crore.
What are consultants saying?
Water conservation skilled and Padma Shri awardee Hiwre Bazar Popatrao Pawar says, “Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan is nice initiative to deal with drought. It ought to be enforced successfully with some course corrections. Why not have a water price range? Agriculture pushed by drip/sprinkler ought to be obligatory. Different crops to sugarcane ought to be promoted together with greater renumeration to maintain farmers’ livelihood.”