Atal Bhujal Yojana was a pilot scheme for participatory groundwater management, implemented in priority water stressed areas across seven States. In Karnataka, the scheme was implemented in 1199 Gram Panchayats of 14 districts, namely: Bagalkot, Belagavi, Bengaluru Rural, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Gadag, Hassan, Kolar, Ramanagara, Tumakuru and Vijayanagar.

The programme has demonstrably improved groundwater management through active community participation. Formation of Participatory Groundwater Management Committee (PGMC), preparation of participatory Water Security Plans, adoption of water efficient practices, community-led monitoring, and implementation of recharge structures have collectively contributed to better governance and sustainable use of groundwater resources. During the Scheme period, more than 25,000 water conservation/ harvesting structures were constructed in the scheme implementation area of Karnataka and more than 2.1 lakh hectare of land was brought under efficient irrigation practices.

Atal Bhujal Yojana was conceived as a pilot scheme for participatory ground water management with a fixed duration & outlay. However, this Ministry has requested all states to take necessary steps to integrate key outcomes of the scheme into their groundwater management plans.

The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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ND

(Rajya Sabha US Q97) 

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