The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the National Ground Water Congress – 2007 and the President of India Smt. Partibha Devisingh Patil will address the valedictory session of the Congress and will present ‘National Water Award and Bhoomijal Samvardhan Purskars’at a function here (11th September’07).
Prof. Saifuddin Soz, the Union Minister for Water Resources, Shri Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, the Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, M.P and renowned water experts will address the Congress. The Congress will be attended by Government, Non-Governmental agencies and various stake holders. Technical papers on ground water issues will be presented in the Congress.The main objectives of National Ground Water Congress are:
- To develop strategies for sustainability and equitable use of ground water to mitigate water and create awareness.
- Evaluate the role of ground water in national food and water security and promoting more crop and income per drop of water.
National Water Award and Bhoomijal Samvardhan Purskars are given for innovative practices of ground water augmentation through rain water harvesting and artificial recharge. National Water Award consists of a cash award of Rs. 10 lakh and a plaque with citation. The National Water Award shall be given for the best innovative practice of ground water augmentation through rain water harvesting and artificial recharge from amongst 18 award winners of the Bhoomijal Samvardhan Puraskar.
The Bhomijal Samvardhan Purskar consists of a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh each and a plague with citation. There are 18 Puraskars in total. One each shall be given for the three different categories i.e. NGO, Gram Panchayat and Urban Local Body in six zones.
There will be two Technical Sessions – First session on the theme of “Awareness of Opportunities for Sustainable management of ground water through Rain Water Harvesting and Water Conservation” and “Role of different Panchayati Raj Institutes, Agricultural Universities, Rural Institutes, Women Institutes and Private Sector in Ground Water Conservation and Sustainable and Equitable use and the Second session on the theme of “More Crop and Income Per Drop of Water”.
Source-IANS
LIN /J
