INTRODUCTION Badera Bharas Gram Panchayat falls under Bhitarwar block in Gwalior District. Occurrence of low rainfall over many years had created a situation where the villagers could not fulfil their domestic and agricultural needs. During summer, the villagers had to walk around 3 km to fetch drinking water. All the hand pumps and wells had dried up due to depletion of groundwater. Consequently, agricultural productivity declined, and the land had started turning fallow. Overall, the situation was such that the villagers were compelled to migrate. Therefore, the Gram Panchayat decided to undertake different water conservation and harvesting works by constructing check dams, canals and renovation of ponds.

The Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in western India that consists of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli – wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat, and the smaller enclave of Dadra, to the northwest, which is surrounded by Gujarat; was declared open defecation free (ODF) in February 2018. Sustainability of ODF status has been maintained through convergence with all departments for both physical and financial support.

Oliamba village is located in the Chhota Udepur District of Gujarat,which is predominantly populated by the Rathwa tribe. To the north of the villagelies the Orsangatributary, which is an important tributary of the Narmada River. The village has undulating land interspersed with small hills, rivers and nallas. Two-thirds of the land in the village is under agricultural use, most of which (91%) is rainfed. In rabi season, when work is not available in the village, people migrate with their families to other parts of Gujarat, mainly to Saurashtra, for their livelihood.

Ahead of the monsoons, about 250 people, mainly women from the village of Thanwala in Ahore panchayat of Jalore district in Rajasthan got together and cleaned up the historic step well. The barely used step well had been dry for a few years but the exercise helped clean the well of accumulated debris and waste. It is hoped that the monsoons will help recharge the well. This was observed by a Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) team that visited the step well and other water bodies and assessed the water conservation efforts of the district administration on 30th July, 2019. Jalore district comprises 8 Blocks all of which are water stressed.

The residents of Bramhonon ki Sareri village, which is situated in Asind block of Bhilwara District in Rajasthan, have been facing severe water shortage, especially during the summer season. The annual rainfall in the region has remained less than 500 mm since 2008. The minor dams that are constructed in the early years have also dried up due to erratic rainfall because of which the women are forced to travel a long distance to fetch drinking water. The village has a pond called Dharmi Talav, which is filled with sand mounds and wild babul trees making it unsuitable for any use. So the villagers requested for its renovation in the year 2017.

Chhattisgarh which was declared open defecation free (ODF) in October 2017 has adopted a comprehensive plan, tailored to the needs of the local communities to sustain its ODF status. Among its activities are beautification of former open defecation spots with planting of Tulsi and Peepal saplings which are considered holy; and promoting the use of rich manure from pits that are emptied. The move is in anticipation of the single and twin pits that will be ready for emptying in due course. The state which is made up of 27 districts, 10971 Gram Panchayats, 19567 villages and 44,29,138 rural households is preparing people for this exercise, encouraging them to use the manure for their kitchen gardens.

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNICEF and My Gov announced top 30 innovations of The Gandhian challenge across India. We received 3800 innovations from the nearly 3000 Atal Tinkering Lab schools along with community schools that participated in the challenge to bring Mahatma Gandhi’s values – including truth, non-violence, service and leadership – alive by designing and innovating for a new world built on these powerful guiding principles.

The district administration of Jhunjhunu organized Kisan Melas in Buhana and Nawalgarh blocks to apprise farmers about crop rotation, technologies for round-the-year green fodder availability under scare water conditions; and about Azolla farming. The events provided a vital platform for farmers to discuss their challenges and for agricultural experts to disseminate information about improved practices and technologies.

In an attempt to promote value of water in general and for supporting country-wide efforts on water conservation and sustainable development of water resources, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti launched a contest named “Water Heroes : Share Your Stories” from 1st September 2019 running till 30th June, 2020. For the first month of the Contest, entries were invited from 1st September to 30th September 2019, on MyGov platform.

The State Government of Arunachal Pradesh has developed a ‘Cleanliness Protocol’ for implementation across the State and has issued necessary notifications in this regard. The District Administration has been made the nodal agency for monitoring and implementation of the same.The Cleanliness Protocol is in keeping with the ODF (open defecation free) Plus activities recommended by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India. ODF plus parameters include regular availability and usage of toilets, management of solid and liquid waste, cleanliness of water resources, maintenance of public and household toilets and awareness on personal hygiene including MHM (menstrual hygiene management).