Parliament Question: Implementation of MAHA Water Mission

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3032 ANSWERED ON 06.08.2026 IMPLEMENTATION OF MAHA WATER MISSION

3032. Shri PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH:

Shri YOGENDER CHANDOLIA:

Shri CHAVDA VINOD LAKHAMSHI:

Dr. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA:

Shri CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

Shri ANIL FIROJIYA:

Shri KHAGEN MURMU:

Shri RAJKUMAR CHAHAR:

Dr. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Shri MAHESH KASHYAP:

Dr. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Shri BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Shri MANOJ TIWARI:

Shri NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has initiated implementation of the ANRF–Ministry of Jal Shakti MAHA Water Mission and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the institutional framework established for selection, monitoring and evaluation of research projects and technology consortia under the said Mission including the mechanism for considering proposals from Dakshina Kannada;

(c) the measures undertaken/being undertaken to facilitate participation of Start-ups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), academic institutions 1such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology

(NITs) etc., and other research organisations in developing innovative water management solutions; and

(d) the manner in which technologies developed under the said Mission are proposed to be validated, deployed and integrated into water resources management and drinking water programmes like Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) across the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY)

(a) to (d) Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a statutory body of the Government of India, has been established under the ANRF Act, 2023 to provide high level strategic direction for research, innovation and entrepreneurship in fields of natural sciences and scientific and technological interfaces of humanities & social sciences to promote, monitor and provide support as required as per recommendations of the National Education Policy.

Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas (MAHA) is a program under ANRF to support priority-centric, solution-based research in Mission mode focusing on some key areas in alignment with nation’s prime requirements. It is a multi- disciplinary, multi-institutional and multi-investigator project with industrial partnerships in the best-sorted areas of immediate concern.

The MAHA Water program launched on 01.06.2026, is a joint initiative of the ANRF, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti to support mission-oriented, solution- based research to address key water challenges. The five thematic areas of the

MAHA Water Programme are: Water Resource Assessment and Sustainable Management; Drinking Water; Water Quality; Human and Ecological Health;

Water Use Efficiency & Circular Economy; and Climate Resilience & Adaptation.

Under the ANRF MAHA Water Programme, proposals are invited in a consortium mode involving multiple Principal Investigators (PIs) and 2institutions/laboratories from academia, research organisations, DSIR-SIRO- registered research organisations, and eligible Section 8 companies.

Participation by at least one Start-up/MSME/Industry partner is mandatory, with a cash contribution of 10% of the total project cost. Related information is

available on the website:

https://anrfonline.in/ANRF/mahawp_anrf?HomePage=New.

The Bharat WIN Portal has been operationalised to facilitate participation of Start-ups/MSMEs and accelerate the development and deployment of innovative water technologies.

Further, the Jal Shakti Hackathon–2025 was organised to encourage practical, scalable, and field-ready technologies to address key water-sector challenges.

Results of R&D in the water sector are shared with stakeholders, such as States & UTs, partner ministries and project implementing agencies, for adoption and implementation as considered appropriate. ***** 3