NITI Aayog to release Composite Water Management Index 2.0 

NITI Aayog will soon release the Composite Water Management Index 2.0 in New Delhi. The second round of the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0) will be launched by Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Rajiv Kumar.

NITI Aayog has prepared the second round of Composite Water Management Index to give a boost to the efforts of the Jal Shakti Ministry to increase water conservation and water security. The Jal Shakti Ministry had on July 1 launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyaan, which is a campaign for water conservation and water security in 1592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts to ensure important water conservation interventions.

Composite Water Management Index

The CWMI 2.0 will rank the states and Union Territories for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.

The Composite Water Management Index is an important tool to assess and improve the performance by the states and Union Territories in water resource management. The assessment is carried out through a one-of-its-kind water data collection exercise, which is conducted in partnership with the Jal Shakti Ministry, Rural Development Ministry and all the states and Union Territories.

The index would not only provide extremely useful information to the states but also to the concerned central departments or Ministries, which will enable them to form and implement effective plans for better management of water resources.

Background

NITI Aayog had first launched the Composite Water Management Index in 2018. The index was launched then as a tool to instill the sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states in water resource management.

The index was the first-ever attempt to measure different dimensions of water management across India. The index report had helped provide valuable inputs to the states regarding what they were doing right and which areas required more of their focus.