Jal Shakti Abhiyan initiative was reviewed at a Cabinet Secretary meet (Representational meet)

The outcome of the first phase of Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) initiative was reviewed at a Cabinet Secretary meet in New Delhi on Friday.

The Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), which is an initiative of the Centre, was to enhance water security, in water-stressed districts. It has delivered over 3.5 lakh water conservation measures in 256 districts.

Out of these, 1.54 lakh are of water conservation and rainwater harvesting measures, 20,000 related to the rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, over 65,000 are for reuse and recharge structures and 1.23 lakh are watershed development projects.

"An estimated 2.64 crore people have already participated in the Abhiyan making it a Jan Andolan. About 4.25 crore saplings were planted as a part of the efforts," he said.

Chairing the review meet, Union Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha appreciated the efforts and commitment shown by the nodal officers in the campaign and encouraged them to closely work with districts for bringing significant changes through key interventions and initiatives.

"JSA has definitely created a lot of buzz in the country, and it will do a lot of good in the years to come. Our aim is to ensure the benefits reach the farmers at the ground-level," the union cabinet secretary said.

DDWS Secretary Parameswaran Iyer shared that the JSA has led to an increase in groundwater level, surface water storage capacity, soil moisture in farmlands and increased plant cover.

"The JSA is a collaborative effort of various Ministries of the Centre and state governments, and is primarily a Jal Sanchay campaign, which has gained phenomenal momentum in this past one month," Mr Iyer said.

"The campaign is successfully running with the involvement of about 1300 officers of the central government joined by state and district officials who are required to take up 3 field visits," he added.