Water Scarcity Main Cause Of Agrarian Distress, Says Gadkari

Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday pushed for ‘Jalsamvaad 2026' to be scaled into a nationwide mission, with Vidarbha as its launchpad. Stating that water scarcity is the main cause of agrarian distress, he announced that a consultancy firm would draft Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) free of cost for every water conservation project in the region."Participants from 19 states are attending, with the conference themed around water conservation as a solution to farmer suicides in Vidarbha," Gadkari said at the inaugural event of the two-day conference, being held to mark the silver jubilee of Purti Sinchan Samruddhi Kalyankari Sanstha.Gadkari recalled visiting a suicide-affected farmer's family near the Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh border with BJP veteran LK Advani during the Rath Yatra. "As the widow spoke, she broke down, and Advani's eyes welled up when her words were translated. The incident crystallised my conviction that water scarcity lay at the root of agrarian distress. If we want to transform the nation, we must awaken individuals and awaken society," Gadkari said.Gadkari said he has asked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to restrict new water well connections only for solar-powered pumps. Cutting farm costs further required a shift from diesel to flex engines, he said. Highlighting Mansar farmers producing bitumen, which is being used for road construction, Gadkari said bio-aviation fuel would be the next avenue where agricultural output could feed industrial demand.Former minister and Ballarpur MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar urged Gadkari to use social media to build a force of two crore Jal Yoddhas from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. "It is predicted that the Third World War would be fought over water. Unlike most, Gadkari is searching for solutions rather than repeating the warning," Mungantiwar said. Mungantiwar said renaming schemes and symbolic gestures would not build a conservation culture. He recalled a Wardha river survey where public participation forced communities to realise their own role in degrading the river they held sacred.Minister of state Ashish Jaiswal said a portion of Maharashtra's DPDC corpus could be directed towards water conservation after Gadkari suggested the idea. A CSR portal enabling corporate contributions to development projects was also in the works, Jaiswal said. He added that the state aimed to raise forest cover from 20% to 33%, backed by a budget provision for a tree plantation drive.Minister of state Pankaj Bhoyar, guardian minister of Wardha and Bhandara, said, "I am proud that Tamaswada, from where Purti Sinchan Samruddhi Kalyankari Sanstha started its work, is in my Assembly constituency. Whatever schemes are to be carried out in Wardha and Bhandara will be taken up on priority."The event's second programme, Jalkranti Parishad, will be held on Monday at Kavivarya Suresh Bhat Sabhagruha, Reshimbagh, with actors Aamir Khan, Nana Patekar and Makrand Anaspure among those expected. Soil and water conservation minister Sanjay Rathod and vice-chancellors of Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth and Gondwana University will also attend.