Pariksha SaathiUnion Jal Shakti Minister launches the Punah Bharan mobile application, developed by BISAG-N with the National Water Mission, for scientific groundwater recharge planning
The Union Minister of Jal Shakti has launched the Punah Bharan Mobile Application, developed by BISAG-N in collaboration with the National Water Mission (NWM), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (RD&GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti, to support scientific groundwater recharge planning, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said on 28 October 2026. The mobile application enables users to identify potential artificial recharge zones within a radial distance of up to 3 km and to explore suitable recharge structures based on local conditions. According to the release, the web portal provides access to village-level Artificial Recharge Structure (ARS) zonation maps, GIS tools and thematic layers, supporting informed planning for sustainable groundwater management. The platform uses geospatial datasets, including rainfall, groundwater levels, groundwater yield, slope and drainage, to help identify potential recharge areas and plan appropriate interventions. The Ministry described Punah Bharan as advancing scientific groundwater recharge planning through geospatial technology.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on 24 July 2025, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said that the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater-2020, prepared by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in consultation with the States and UTs, is a macro-level plan indicating various groundwater recharge structures for the country's different terrain conditions. The plan aims to construct approximately 1.42 crore such structures across India, potentially harnessing about 185 billion cubic metres (BCM) of rainwater, and involves identifying state- and region-specific interventions suited to local conditions such as the existing status of groundwater resources, average rainfall, and rock and soil structure. It has been shared with all State Governments for field interventions in convergence with schemes such as MGNREGS and PMKSY, so no specific fund has been allotted for it, and it is only recommendatory in nature. Under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, the construction or renovation of 1.14 crore artificial recharge, rainwater harvesting and other water conservation structures, at an estimated cost of Rs 1.18 lakh crore, was coordinated across the country in convergence with MGNREGS during 2021-2025.
Check yourself: who prepared the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater-2020, about how many structures does it aim to construct, and how much rainwater could they harness?
The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), in consultation with the States and UTs; approximately 1.42 crore structures; about 185 BCM.
Revision task: from this release, note who developed the Punah Bharan app and in collaboration with which mission, what it lets users do and within what radius, what the web portal offers and the datasets the platform uses; from the note, who prepared the Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater-2020, the number of structures it aims to build and the volume of rainwater they could harness, how it is funded, and the Jal Shakti Abhiyan figures for 2021-2025.
Test yourself
Which institution developed the Punah Bharan mobile application, launched by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with the National Water Mission to support scientific groundwater recharge planning?
Show the answer
Answer: BISAG-N
The Punah Bharan Mobile Application was developed by BISAG-N in collaboration with the National Water Mission (NWM), Department of Water Resources, RD&GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti, to support scientific groundwater recharge planning. It enables users to identify potential artificial recharge zones within a radial distance of up to 3 km and explore suitable recharge structures based on local conditions, using geospatial datasets such as rainfall, groundwater levels, groundwater yield, slope and drainage.
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