President Droupadi Murmu will present the 6th National Water Awards 2024 at a ceremony scheduled on November 18, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, the Ministry of Jal Shakti announced on Tuesday.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil declared the list of 46 winners, including joint awardees, during a press conference held at Shram Shakti Bhawan. The awards, instituted by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), recognise outstanding efforts in water conservation and management across ten categories.
According to the Ministry, Maharashtra has been named the Best State, followed by Gujarat and Haryana. The event will also be attended by Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, Secretary (DoWR, RD & GR) V.L. Kantha Rao, and Secretary (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation) Ashok K.K. Meena, along with senior officials and dignitaries.
A total of 751 applications were received through the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. After evaluation and field verification by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), 46 winners were selected for their exemplary initiatives.
Among the key awardees, Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, and Sepahijala in Tripura were recognised as the best-performing districts. Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra topped among urban local bodies, while IIT Gandhinagar in Gujarat and ICAR–CCARI, Goa shared the award for best institution.
The Best Village Panchayat award went jointly to Dubbiganipalli in Andhra Pradesh and Payam in Kerala. Apollo Tyres Ltd (Tamil Nadu), Hero MotoCorp Ltd (Haryana), and Jhajjar Power Ltd (Haryana) were honoured in the industry category, while individuals from Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Andhra Pradesh were recognised for excellence in the water sector.
Launched in 2018, the National Water Awards aim to encourage community participation and sustainable water management, supporting the government’s vision of a ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.