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Tamil Nadu has bagged the first place under the ‘Best State’ category under the National Water Awards (NWAs) 2019,Tamil Nadu was followed by Maharashtra and Rajasthan as the best states under the normal category.

The awards presented by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Parameters considered for the ranking

• The ministry confers the award based on various parameters, including implementation of irrigation water supply schemes such as check dams, performance under micro irrigation, increase in irrigation coverage, performance in roof top rain water harvesting and status of implementation of water accounting and auditing.
• The total number of water bodies created, reuse of waste water from farms/industry/sewage, management and utilisation of data/IT technology in water conservation and irrigation.

Why are the awards given?

• The awards are given to motivate the individuals/organizations who are doing commendable work in the field of water resources conservation and management.
• Also, it strives to create awareness among the people about importance of water and motivate them to adopt the best water usage practices.
• The award winners in different categories will be given a citation, trophy and cash prize.
• The NWAs focuses on the good work and efforts made by individual and organizations across the country, and the government’s vision for the path to a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’.

Categories

• The National Water Awards 2019 is awarding the participants 98 number of awards in 16 different categories - Best State, Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, Best Research/ Innovation/ New Technology, Best Education/ Mass Awareness effort, Best TV show, Best Newspaper, Best School, Best Institution/ RWA/ Religious Organization, Best Industry, Best Water Regulatory Authority, Best Water Warrior, Best NGO, Best Water User Association, and Best Industry for CSR Activity.
• Each of the categories has sub-categories in different zones of the country.

Source: PIB