Approval of Research and Development programme in water sector for the XII Plan period

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of the research and development programme in the water sector with an outlay of Rs. 360 crore during the XII Plan. The scheme aims to improve available technologies to achieve optimal efficiency and economy in planning, design, construction and operation of water resources projects.

The scheme includes activities such as ‘Research and Development in apex organisations at National level', 'Sponsoring and coordinating research in water sector', 'Support for dissemination of research findings and technology transfer', 'Evaluation of Research and Development activities and consultancies'. The scheme aims at finding solutions to problems relating to water resources in view of the increasing demand for water due to rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization and climate change.

The identified activities will be implemented by the organisations of Ministry of Water Resources. They are the Central Water and Power Research Station, the Central Soil and Materials Research Station, the National Institute of Hydrology and the Central Water Commission. Other institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, universities and research laboratories will also be involved in research activities under the scheme.

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SC/NK/SM