Second National Consultation on Watershed Management Guidelines
The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA), serving as knowledge partner to the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development, organized the Second National Level Consultation Meeting on draft National Technical Guidelines for Improved Watershed Management. The meeting was held on June 17-18, 2026 at the NASC Complex in Pusa, New Delhi, under the World Bank-assisted Rejuvenating Watersheds for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development (REWARD) Programme.
The consultation brought together approximately 100 experts and practitioners from key stakeholder organizations including the Department of Land Resources, National Rainfed Area Authority, World Bank, REWARD States (Karnataka and Odisha), NRAA's Consortium Partners, NABARD, ICAR institutions, and other national and international organizations. The REWARD program is supported by a $240 million loan from the World Bank, with $120 million allocated to Karnataka, $80 million to Odisha, and $40 million to the central government for technical assistance and capacity building.
During the inaugural session, Secretary of Department of Land Resources Shri Narendra Bhooshan launched a short film titled "Meri Mitti, Mera Farz" on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. He emphasized that watershed management should be driven by science, community participation, and administrative simplicity with strong focus on farmers and local watershed institutions. He outlined national goals including development of rainfed areas, improving agricultural productivity, enhancing cropping intensity, strengthening water security and groundwater recharge, building climate resilience, and ensuring repair and maintenance of watershed assets.
Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, CEO of NRAA, highlighted suggestions from the previous consultation including greater private sector involvement, data-driven approaches, convergence, involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions, and post-project sustainability. He emphasized integration of enabled applications with chatbots, technology-driven monitoring and evaluation systems, and development of robust Decision Support Systems and national web portal systems.
The Joint Secretary (Watershed Management) of DoLR suggested deliberations on using drone technology for high-resolution imagery, adoption of Land Resource Inventory and Hydrology-Lite approaches, reforming institutional and implementation mechanisms in states, and exploring mechanisms for post-project maintenance through technical service providers and institutions/NGOs.
Technical sessions covered key thematic areas including Land Resource Inventory (LRI), Hydrology, Decision Support Systems (DSS), Technology-enabled Monitoring and Evaluation, Community Engagement and Social Mobilization, Livelihood Promotion, Watershed Sustainability, and Remote Sensing and GIS-based Web Portal Development. The consultation aimed to incorporate expert inputs for strengthening watershed planning, implementation, monitoring, and sustainability across the country, with expected significant contributions toward improving watershed governance and enhancing climate resilience in rainfed areas.