President Droupadi Murmu will confer the 5th National Water Awards 2023 on October 22 at Vigyan Bhawan here, said the Union Ministry for Jal Shakti on Sunday.

The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti announced 38 winners, including joint winners, for the 5th National Water Awards, 2023, in nine categories viz Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best School or College, Best Industry, Best Water User Association, Best Institution (other than school or college), and Best Civil Society on 14 October, it said.

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The Ministry said under the Best State category, the first prize has been conferred upon Odisha, with Uttar Pradesh securing the second position, and Gujarat and Puducherry jointly securing the third position. Each award winner will be presented with a citation and a trophy as well as cash prizes in certain categories.

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry said it has been undertaking a comprehensive campaign to spread awareness about water management and water conservation on a national level. “From this standpoint and to create awareness among the people about the importance of water and to help motivate people to adopt the best water usage practices, the 1st National Water Awards was launched in 2018 by the DoWR, RD & GR. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th National Water Awards were given for the years 2019, 2020 and 2022. The awards were not given in the year 2021 due to COVID pandemic,” it added.

The National Water Awards focus on the good work and efforts made by individuals and organisations nationwide in attaining the government’s vision of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’. The awards are given for creating awareness among the people about the importance of water and motivating them to adopt the best water usage practices.