Centre Launches National Training to Boost Water Security in Gram Panchayats.

New Delhi, July 13, 2026 Strengthening water security at the grassroots has emerged as a key priority for sustainable rural development. In line with this vision, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched the first National Master Trainers Training Programme in New Delhi to help Gram Panchayats prepare scientific water budgets and water security plans. The four-day residential programme, being held from July 13 to 16, 2026, aims to build a network of trainers at the state, district, and block levels who will support villages in developing technically sound and climate-resilient water management plans. During the event, the Ministry also released the *Jal-Parayapt Panchayat* Training Manual (Phase 1 and Phase 2). According to the Ministry, the initiative is designed to strengthen the capacity of Gram Panchayats through water budgeting, enabling them to prepare participatory, scientific, and climate-responsive water security plans. The programme is being seen as a significant step toward achieving the vision of *Jal-Parayapt Gram Panchayats*. Ministry of Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj said, **"Water security is a key pillar of sustainable rural development."** He added that Gram Panchayats and local communities have a deep understanding of water-related challenges, and the training will help transform that local knowledge into structured action plans through water budgeting. He also described community participation and behavioural change as essential for the success of the initiative. Additional Secretary Sushil Kumar Lohani said that integrating water conservation into Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) is essential for holistic rural development. He explained that the programme will create a national pool of Master Trainers to assist states, districts, and Gram Panchayats in preparing water security plans. The initiative will be implemented in phases, with priority given to water-stressed regions. The training will focus on water budgeting, assessment of local water resources and demand, identification of conservation measures, preparation of climate-resilient water security plans, and their integration with GPDPs, along with practical exercises and capacity-building activities. In the first phase, the programme will cover 1,000 Gram Panchayats across 100 districts and 100 blocks in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Participants from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal are attending the first training batch and will later conduct similar programmes at the state, district, and block levels, helping expand scientific water planning across rural India.