The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), the Knowledge Partner of the Department of Land Resources (DoLR), Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, organized the Second National Level Consultation Meeting on the draft National Technical Guidelines (NTG) for Improved Watershed Management under the World Bank-assisted Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) Programme on 17–18 June 2026 at the NASC Complex, Pusa, New Delhi.

The inaugural session was graced by Shri Narendra Bhooshan, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, and Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, NRAA, along with senior officials from DoLR and NRAA.

The consultation brought together key stakeholders involved in watershed development and natural resource management, including representatives from the Department of Land Resources, National Rainfed Area Authority, the World Bank, REWARD States (Karnataka and Odisha), NRAA’s Consortium Partners, NABARD, ICAR institutions, and other national and international organizations.

On the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, Shri Narendra Bhooshan launched a short film titled “Meri Mitti, Mera Farz”, to protect our soil, restore degraded landscapes, improve our rainfed areas and secure a sustainable future through watershed development.

The Secretary, DoLR emphasized that watershed management to be driven by science, community participation, and administrative simplicity, with a strong focus on farmers and local watershed institutions. He advised to keep in mind the National goals of development of Rainfed areas, improving agricultural productivity, enhancing cropping intensity, strengthening water security & groundwater recharge, building climate resilience, and ensuring the repair & maintenance of watershed assets while formulating the guidelines. He also emphasized that the measures suggested in NTG should be scalable.

CEO, NRAA recalled the previous discussion suggestion of first national level consultation of draft NTG-greater involvement of private sector, data driven approach, convergence, involvement of PRI, post project sustainability. Further, He emphasized integration of enabled applications with chatbots, use of technology-driven monitoring & evaluation systems, development of robust DSS and national web portal systems that can generate meaningful outcomes for future watershed programmes.

Joint Secretary (WM), DoLR, suggested to have deliberations on the use of drone technology for obtaining high resolution imagery for planning, adoption of LRI & Hydrology-Lite approaches, reforming the institutional and implementation mechanisms in States for effective watershed implementation  and to explore the mechanisms for post-project maintenance and sustainability of watershed assets through the engagement of technical service providers, institutions/NGOs.

The consultation aims to deliberate on the draft National Technical Guidelines and to incorporate expert inputs for strengthening watershed planning, implementation, monitoring, and sustainability across the country. The deliberations are expected to contribute significantly towards improving watershed governance and enhancing climate resilience in rainfed areas.

A series of technical sessions have been planned covering key thematic areas such as Land Resource Inventory (LRI), Hydrology, Decision Support Systems (DSS), Technology-enabled Monitoring and Evaluation, Community Engagement and Social Mobilization, Livelihood Promotion, Watershed Sustainability, and Remote Sensing & GIS-based Web Portal Development.

The event has witnessed participation from around 100 experts and practitioners representing States and reputed institutions, reflecting a broad-based commitment towards advancing scientific and sustainable watershed management practices in the country.

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