The Maharashtra government has formed a state-level high-powered committee, chaired by the Chief Minister, to monitor soil and water conservation works in drought-affected areas. According to the Free Press Journal, the decision was announced in Mumbai on Monday by Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod. The Soil and Water Conservation Department issued a Government Resolution (GR) on November 2, 2026.
Key points
- A high-powered committee under the Chief Minister will monitor conservation works, including the Water Cup competition and projects run with NGOs.
- A separate state-level executive committee, led by the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department, will coordinate the work and take quick decisions.
- Progress of NGO projects will be tracked through GIS, satellite imagery, mobile-based systems and online dashboards.
- The Water Cup competition, run through the Paani Foundation, will be revived.
Why the committees were formed
The move follows deficient rainfall in Maharashtra in 2026, which affected the Kharif season. Drought has been declared in talukas where Trigger-1 was implemented, and several relief measures and concessions have been extended to these areas. Soil and water conservation works to strengthen water availability are part of these measures.
Mr Rathod said the aim is to ensure effective monitoring, faster decision-making and regular assessment of progress using technology. The government also plans to take up conservation projects with voluntary organisations such as the Paani Foundation and the Chandra Foundation.
Who will be on the committees
All Deputy Chief Ministers will be co-chairpersons of the high-powered committee. Its members will be the ministers in charge of Soil and Water Conservation, Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Water Resources and Command Area Development, Water Supply and Sanitation, and the Employment Guarantee Scheme. The Secretary of the Soil and Water Conservation Department will be the member secretary.
This committee will monitor conservation projects taken up for drought mitigation and review their progress. It will also assess the people's participation movement being built through the Water Cup initiative.
The executive committee will include Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries from the departments concerned. These include Water Resources, Agriculture, Forest, Rural Development, Finance, Water Supply and Sanitation, Employment Guarantee Scheme and Soil and Water Conservation. It will give directions and guidance to departments for implementing the Water Cup initiative and make sure the high-powered committee's decisions are followed.
Monitoring and next steps
To improve transparency and accountability, work done through NGOs will be tracked with Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, satellite imagery, mobile-based monitoring and online dashboards. The executive committee will meet at least once a month to review implementation and resolve operational issues.
The Government Resolution is available on the state government's official website, www.maharashtra.gov.in.
