Chapter 1

An Overview
Our country is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resources, water being the most
precious of them. Water security, water management and its development is of immense importance
in all walks of human life and also for all living beings. Integrated water management is essential for
environmental sustenance, sustainable economic development of the country and for bettering
human life through poverty reduction.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of
India, is responsible for conservation, management and development of water as a national resource;
overall national perspective of water planning and coordination in relation to diverse uses of water;
general policy, technical assistance, research and development, training and matters relating to
irrigation and multi-purpose projects, ground water management; conjunctive use of surface and
ground water, command area development, flood management including drainage, flood-proofing,
water logging, sea erosion and dam safety.

The Ministry has also been allocated the subject of regulation and development of inter-State rivers,
implementation of awards of Tribunals, water quality assessment, bilateral and external assistance
and co-operation programmes in the field of water resources and matters relating to rivers common
to India and neighbouring countries.

The above-mentioned functions of the Ministry are performed through its two attached offices
(Central Water Commission and Central Soil and Materials Research Station), seven sub-ordinate
offices (Central Ground Water Board, Central Water and Power Research Station, Ganga Flood
Control Commission, Farakka Barrage Project, Sardar Sarovar Construction Advisory Committee,
Banasagar Control Board and Upper Yamuna River Board), six statutory bodies (Brahmaputra
Board, Narmada Control Authority, Betwa River Board, Tungabhadra Board, Godavari River
Management Board and Krishna River Management Board), four autonomous societies/body
(National Water Development Agency, National Institute of Hydrology, North-Eastern Regional
Institute of Water & Land Management) and National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA); and
two public sector enterprises (WAPCOS Limited and National Projects Construction Corporation
Limited ).

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The Ministry is headed by Honble Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and
Ganga Rejuvenation - Sushri Uma Bharti. Honble Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Minister-in-
charge till 25th May, 2014. Sushri Uma Bharti took over the charge of the Ministry on 26th May,
2014. Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar was Minister of State (MOS) for Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation from 26th May to 8th November, 2014. Prof. Sanwar Lal Jat
took over the charge of MOS of the Ministry on 9th November, 2014. Shri Alok Rawat was Secretary
till 20th October, 2014. Shri Anuj Kumar Bishnoi was Secretary of the Ministry till 15th June 2015.
Shri Shashi Shekhar is Secretary of the Ministry w.e.f 5th June, 2015. Shri Dr. Amarjit Singh is
Special Secretary in the Ministry, he took over as Additional Secretary w.e.f. 30th April, 2014. The
organisational chart of the Ministry is at Annexure-I. The staff strength of the Ministry is at
Annexure-II. A list of Heads of Organizations under the Ministry is at Annexure-III.

There are at present twelve wings in the Ministry, namely, Administration / GW, Brahmaputra &
Barak, Economic Advisory, Flood Management, Finance, Ganga Rejuvenation, Indus, Minor
Irrigation & Statistics, National Water Mission, Peninsular River, Policy & Planning, and State
Projects.

MAJOR INITIATIVES

NATI ONAL GANGA RI VER BASI N AUTHORI TY (NGRBA)

As per the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the mandate of
NGRBA is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). At national level
NMCG is the coordinating body and is being supported by States-Level Program Management
Groups (SPMGs) of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal which, are also registered as societies
under Societies Registration Act, 1860 and a dedicated Nodal Cell in Jharkhand. As per the 306th
amendment of the Government of Indian (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 both NGRBA and
NMCG are allocated to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation.

The function of National Ganga River Basin Authority include development of Ganga River Basin
Management Plan, regulation of activities aimed at prevention, control and abatement of pollution,
to maintain water quality and to take measures relevant to the river ecology in Ganga basin states.