AICTE to mobilise engineering students for Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has planned mass mobilisation of engineering students across the country for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, a campaign for water conservation and water security. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on July 1 announced the commencement of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan, a campaign for water conservation and water security.

The campaign will be done in two phases, between July 1 and September 15 in the first phase and the second phase will focus on State receiving retreating monsoon between October 1 and November 30. The major intervention areas under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan are water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodied/tanks, reuse, borewell recharge structure, watershed development and intensive afforestation.

For this, the AICTE has decided to engage engineering students. The concerned ministry has given AICTE a task for the mass mobilization of engineering students from local engineering colleges and their involvement in this campaign, AICTE Chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe said in a communication to directors and principals of AICTE approved institutions.

He has also requested principals and directors to involve their students for participation in this campaign. Engineering students of institutions participating in this campaign are to be nominated and mapped for each block team through the district collector of concerned district, he added.

He further said, "A team of officers in the rank of joint secretary and additional secretary up to 250 officers from the central government will visit and work with district administration in 1592 water stressed blocks in 256 districts. All these officers have started their journey to their respective allotted districts. Involvement of students in this challenging activity can also be construed as a social internship."