- Why in news
- On 26 July 2026, the Ministry of Jal Shakti highlighted Rajnandgaon district (Chhattisgarh) and its Mission Jal Raksha as a model under the nationwide #CatchTheRain campaign, as the monsoon sets in.
- What it is
- Catch the Rain is a Ministry of Jal Shakti campaign, run through the National Water Mission, that urges States, districts and citizens to build rainwater harvesting and recharge structures before and during the monsoon. Its slogan is 'Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls'. Mission Jal Raksha is Rajnandgaon's district-level effort under it, combining science-based planning with community participation.
- Nodal ministry
- The campaign is led by the Ministry of Jal Shakti; the release is issued by that ministry.
- Scientific tools
- Rajnandgaon uses GIS mapping, remote sensing, aquifer mapping, Digital Elevation Models and ridge-to-valley planning to site recharge structures.
- Field interventions
- Defunct borewells are converted into recharge shafts, and mini percolation tanks are combined with deep injection wells to reach deep aquifers in hard-rock terrain.
- Crop shift
- Nearly 70 per cent of summer paddy area has moved to less water-intensive crops.
Don’t confuse with Catch the Rain vs Atal Bhujal Yojana: Atal Bhujal Yojana is a Central sector scheme for community-led groundwater management in water-stressed areas. Catch the Rain is a campaign, not a funded scheme of that kind.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Recharging aquifers and cutting runoff improves drinking and irrigation water security.
- Jan Bhagidari and crop diversification show how demand-side and supply-side steps can work together.
Problems
- Results from one district may not be replicated in other hydrogeological settings without local aquifer mapping.
- Recharge structures need upkeep and community ownership to last beyond the campaign season.
Way forward
- Scale up aquifer mapping and water budgeting in all water-stressed districts, and converge funds such as MGNREGS.
Put in your answer
Crop diversification: About 70 per cent of summer paddy area shifted to less water-intensive crops, easing groundwater pressure.
- 2020Mains GS3 · Q8Salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan for water conservation and security
- 2018Mains GS1 · Q14How water harvesting can be made effective in urban areas to address groundwater depletion
- 2020Mains GS3 · Q14Measures to improve water storage and irrigation for judicious use
- 2014Prelims Q56Benefits of Integrated Watershed Development Programme, including rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting water conservation campaign; the release is a district case study with few testable facts. Schemes are 16% of news-linked Prelims questions, but this one lacks a hook.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.