NEW YORK (TIP): India’s Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was accorded a civic reception at the Indian Consulate here on March 21, 2023. The visiting minister who spoke in Hindi dwelt on the phenomenal work India had done in the field of water management. He claimed that safe drinking water has been made available in the entire country. There were areas earlier where water was too scarce for human survival, and people had to travel miles to fetch drinking water. He said that the situation has changed. In the field of agriculture, too, the drought prone areas have been identified and plans drawn to reach water where required.

To a question on connecting rivers of India, as suggested by the former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam, the minister said that the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was enthusiastic about the proposal. The proposal which had gone into cold storage is now being reconsidered. Consul General of India Randhir Kumar Jaiswal moderated the question answer session. Deputy Consul General Dr. Varun Jeph thanked the visiting minister and the guests. Ms Shahana at the Community affairs section of the consulate emceed the program.