Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards 2025
Table of Contents
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards are national awards under Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) to honour community-driven water conservation.
Background: From “Jan Shakti” to “Jal Shakti”
- Launched: 6 September 2024 at Surat, Gujarat
- Guiding vision: Jan Shakti for Jal Shakti (people’s power for water security)
- Linked campaign: Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain
- Award year: 2025 (Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0)
- Conferred by: Hon’ble President of India, along with 6th National Water Awards 2025
- Approach: “Whole-of-Government + Whole-of-Society”
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards reward districts, Urban Local Bodies, ministries, industries, NGOs and individuals that created large numbers of artificial recharge and storage structures through community participation and CSR support.
Core Idea of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards
The JSJB initiative is built on the 3 Cs mantra:
- Community – people’s participation, local ownership
- CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility funds for water works
- Cost – focus on cost-effective, scalable models
Key Targets
- States divided into five zones
- Districts (plain areas): minimum 10,000 recharge/storage structures
- North-Eastern & Hilly districts: minimum 3,000 structures
- Municipal Corporations: minimum 10,000 structures each
- Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) (other than MCs): encouraged to build 2,000+ structures
Types of works covered:
- Rooftop rainwater harvesting
- Recharge pits, recharge shafts, injection wells
- Rejuvenation of lakes, ponds, stepwells
- Other artificial groundwater recharge structures
Against a target of 10 lakh structures, districts and ULBs together reported 27.6 lakh completed works – an important statistic to remember for prelims!
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards 2025 – Top Highlights
- Total awards: 100
- Coverage:
- 3 top performing States/UTs
- 67 Districts (Zone-wise + Category-wise)
- 6 Municipal Corporations
- 1 ULB (other than MCs)
- 2 Partner Ministries/Departments
- 2 Industries / Industry Associations
- 3 NGOs
- 2 Philanthropists
- 14 Nodal officers (CWC/CGWB)
Prize Structure (Districts)
- Category 1 districts: ₹ 2 crore each
- Category 2 districts: ₹ 1 crore each
- Category 3 districts: ₹ 25 lakh each
Best Performing States under JSJB Awards 2025
| Rank | Category | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best Performing State/UT | Telangana |
| 2 | Best Performing State/UT | Chhattisgarh |
| 3 | Best Performing State/UT | Rajasthan |
Key takeaway for exams: Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are the top 3 JSJB States for 2025.
Top District Performers – Category 1 (Big Awards)
Northern Zone
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh | Mirzapur | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | ₹2 Cr |
| 3 | Uttar Pradesh | Jalaun | ₹2 Cr |
Eastern Zone
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chhattisgarh | Balod | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Chhattisgarh | Rajnandgaon | ₹2 Cr |
| 3 | Chhattisgarh | Raipur | ₹2 Cr |
Southern Zone
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telangana | Adilabad | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Telangana | Nalgonda | ₹2 Cr |
| 3 | Telangana | Mancherial | ₹2 Cr |
Western Zone
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | East Nimar | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Rajasthan | Bhilwara | ₹2 Cr |
| 3 | Rajasthan | Barmer | ₹2 Cr |
North East & Hilly States
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tripura | North Tripura | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Jammu & Kashmir | Rajouri | ₹2 Cr |
Top Municipal Corporations & ULBs
Municipal Corporations (Top 3)
| Rank | State | Municipal Corporation | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chhattisgarh | Raipur Municipal Corporation | ₹2 Cr |
| 2 | Telangana | Hyderabad (HMWSSB for JSJB in GHMC area) | ₹2 Cr |
| 3 | Uttar Pradesh | Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation | ₹2 Cr |
Best ULB (Other than Municipal Corporations)
| Rank | State | District | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madhya Pradesh | Guna | ₹40 L |
Role of Ministries, NGOs, Industries & Philanthropists
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards also recognise non-government actors, reinforcing the idea that water security is a shared responsibility.
Partner Ministries / Departments
- Ministry of Railways – Best Partner Ministry (Central)
- Department of Water Resources, RD & GR – Implementation leadership
- Defence Estates – Special participation in water structure creation
NGOs
- Jaltara Save Groundwater – 8,256 works
- GirGanga Parivar – 8,149 works
- Art of Living – 2,576 works
Industry Associations
- FICCI Water Mission – 273 works
- ASSOCHAM – 96 works
Philanthropists
- “Karmabhoomi se Matrabhoomi” initiative – 757 works
- Hasmukhbhai (Gujarat) – 53 works
Why Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards Are Important for Exams
For APPSC, UPSC, SSC, State PSCs, the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards touch multiple syllabus areas:
- Environment & Ecology: groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting
- Governance: cooperative federalism, inter-ministerial coordination
- Social Issues: community participation, decentralised planning
- Schemes & Programmes: Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Catch the Rain, National Water Awards
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FAQs on Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards
What are Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards?
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards are national awards under Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain to recognise best performing states, districts, ULBs, NGOs, industries and individuals in artificial groundwater recharge and water conservation through people’s participation.
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards are given by which ministry?
They are given by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, specifically the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR).
In which year were Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0 Awards launched?
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 1.0 initiative was launched on 6 September 2024, and the first Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards are being conferred in 2025.
What is the main objective of Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards?
The key objective is to promote large-scale water harvesting and groundwater recharge through community participation, CSR funding and low-cost models, and to reward high-performing units for building and rejuvenating recharge structures.
Which states topped the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards 2025?
The top three states are:
Telangana – Rank 1
Chhattisgarh – Rank 2
Rajasthan – Rank 3
What is the cash prize for top performing districts under JSJB Awards?
Category 1 districts: ₹2 crore each
Category 2 districts: ₹1 crore each
Category 3 districts: ₹25 lakh each
Conclusion for Aspirants
The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards combine environment, governance, and community participation—all high-priority themes in modern competitive exams.
As an aspirant, you should:
- Memorise top states, some key districts and the 3Cs mantra
- Link JSJB with Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain and National Water Awards.
Source: PIB
