“Give our farmer water and see the wonders our farmer can do” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Very often he recalls, “When I first took over as Chief Minister, farmers would come to me and say we need electricity. Citizens would come and say, atleast give us electricity during our evening meal. I told them yes that will be done but you all focus on water. Jal Hai To Kal Hai (if there is water there is a glorious future). Thankfully they paid heed to my suggestion and along with 24/7 power, we also saw a rise in the water table.”
Water conservation is an area of immense focus for the Government of India. Innovative means are being thought of to ensure conservation of water resources and cleaner rivers across the nation.
In this regard there is lots to learn from Mahatma Gandhi. The Prime Minister cites a fascinating example from Gandhi Ji’s house in Porbandar where water is conserved. He said during the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme in April 2016, “I have always said that people who visit the house of Mahatma Gandhi in Porbandar, they should also see there the underground tanks constructed about 200 years ago, that were built to save rain water. Water collected in these tanks remained pure.”
In his unique way, Mahatma Gandhi gave us an important message of water conservation, which we must take inspiration from and ensure generations to come have access to clean drinking water and adequate water for their use.
