Last date of submission of applications is 28th August 2026
The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the 7th National Water Awards on the Rashtriya Puraskar portal of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). All the applications will be received through the online Rashtriya Puraskar portal (www.awards.gov.in) only. Eligible organisations/entities/applicants may visit the portal or the Department’s website (www.jalshakti-dowr.gov.in) for further details. The last date of submission of applications is 28th August, 2026.
Eligibility for the awards:
Any State, District, Urban Local Body, Dam Own Agencies, & Industry who have done good work in the field of water conservation and management is eligible.
Trophy and Citation:
Each winner would be provided a Trophy with a Citation.
Selection Process:
All applications received for 7th National Water Awards are scrutinized/shortlisted by a Screening Committee & shortlisted applications are placed before the Jury Committee which is constituted by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The recommendations of the Committee are submitted to the Minister (Jal Shakti) for approval. Thereafter, the names of winners are announced on a suitable date and an award distribution ceremony is organised wherein the winners are conferred with the awards by the President of India or Vice President of India.
Details of the awards:
| S No. | Category of Award | Sub-category | Eligible
Entity |
No. of Awards/Prize money | Selection process |
| 1. | Best State |
|
State Govt/ UT | 3 Awards (First, Second & Third) | Applications received on MHA Puraskar portal |
|
State Govt/UT | 3 Awards (First, Second & Third) | To be selected from JSJB monitoring framework | ||
|
State Govt/ UT |
3 Awards (First, Second & Third) | To be selected from JJM-IMIS, JSAn
(Jal Seva Aankalan)
Data under JJM-IMIS, and WQMIS (Water Quality Monitoring Information System) |
||
| 2. | Best District |
|
District Admn/
DM/DC |
15 Awards (Three
awards – per zone first, second & third from five zones i.e., Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern & North Eastern) |
Applications received on MHA Puraskar portal |
|
District Admn/
DM/DC |
15 Awards (Three
awards per zone-first, second & third from five zones i.e., Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern & North Eastern) |
To be selected from JSJB monitoring framework | ||
|
District Admn/
DM/DC |
15 Awards (Three
awards per zone – first, second & third from five zones i.e. Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern & North Eastern) |
To be selected from JJM-IMIS, JSAn
(Jal Seva Aankalan)
Data under JJM-IMIS, and WQMIS (Water Quality Monitoring Information System) |
||
| 3. | Best Urban Local Body |
|
Urban Local Body | 5 Awards (One
award from each of the five zones i.e., Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern & North Eastern) |
Applications received on MHA Puraskar portal |
|
Urban Local Body | 5 Awards (One
award from each of the five zones i.e., Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern & North Eastern) |
To be selected from JSJB monitoring framework | ||
| 4. | Best Implemented Project in water sector | Theme for 7th NWAs is Dam Safety | Project Implementing Authorities | 3 Awards:
First, Second and Third award |
Applications received on MHA Puraskar portal |
| 5. | Best Industry for CSR initiative in water sector | – | Industry | 3 Awards:
First, Second and Third award |
To be selected from portals related to CSR of Ministry of Corporate Affairs/related Ministries |
The National Water Awards (NWAs) were introduced to recognize and encourage exemplary work and efforts made by States, Districts, individuals, organizations etc. across the country in accomplishing the government’s vision ‘Jal Samridh Bharat’. It aims to sensitize the public about the importance of water and motivate them to adopt the best water usage practices. The objective of the National Water Awards is to encourage the stakeholders to adopt a holistic approach toward water resource management in the country as surface water and groundwater play a significant role in the water cycle. The first edition of the National Water Awards was introduced in the year 2018 by the Department and 6 editions of the Awards have been successfully organised by the Department.
