Niti Aayog has developed a composite water management index as a tool to assess and improve the performance in efficient management of water resources.
The index would provide useful information for states and the Central ministries and departments concerned to formulate suitable strategy for better management of water resources, an official release said on Wednesday.
The index has a set of 28 key performance indicators such as irrigation status, drinking water, and other water related sectors. “Critical areas such as source augmentation, major and medium irrigation, watershed development, participatory irrigation practices, sustainable on-farm water use practices, rural drinking water, urban water supply and sanitation, and policy and governance have been accorded high priority,” the release said.
Claiming that this is the first such index in the world, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that an outcome-oriented index would help rank states on their management of natural resources, and this would have a salutary effect on water conservation. He pointed out that the state-wise index on ease of doing business has led to labor reforms in Jharkhand.