(LiveMint)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to conserve water as a matter of social responsibility in the run-up to the coming rainy season. Addressing the nation during his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Modi said that the government was leaving no stone unturned for water conservation, having spent Rs35,000 crore on it in 2017-18.
“We are told in the future, wars will be fought over water. Shouldn’t water conservation be a social responsibility? It should be everyone’s responsibility. April, May, June, July are the best months for rain water conservation. We will benefit if we prepare for it in advance,” he said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) earlier this month said that rainfall is likely to be normal during the June-to-September south-west monsoon season. Modi said huge efforts have been made towards water conservation and management in the last three years. The budget of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has also been used for water conservation.