SYLLABUS

GS-2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

 GS-3: Conservation. 

Context: The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) recently launched the ₹200-crore MAHA Water Mission, a mission-mode initiative aimed at promoting research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology deployment to address India’s growing water-security challenges. 

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• The Mission for Advancement in High-impact Areas (MAHA) Water Mission seeks to address growing challenges relating to water scarcity, groundwater depletion, water quality, climate-induced water stress, and sustainable management of water resources. 

• It aims to promote a collaborative ecosystem involving research institutions, academia, startups, MSMEs, industry, and government agencies to develop and deploy scalable water solutions. 

• As part of the launch, ANRF invited proposals from startups and MSMEs for product and prototype development to strengthen India's water innovation ecosystem and improve last-mile implementation of water technologies.

About MAHA Water Mission

• The Mission is a joint initiative of ANRF and the Ministry of Jal Shakti aimed at accelerating research, innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology deployment in the water sector. 

• The mission has a projected outlay of ₹200 crore over five years and seeks to support the development, validation, and large-scale deployment of innovative solutions for water security and sustainable water management. 

• It has been conceived as a national platform for water innovation, bringing together researchers, academia, industry, startups, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and grassroots stakeholders to address complex water challenges through collaborative action. 

• The mission promotes R&D-driven solutions integrated with policy, governance, and entrepreneurship, thereby bridging the gap between scientific research and field-level implementation. 

• Selected multidisciplinary consortia comprising universities, national laboratories, research organisations, startups, MSMEs, and industry partners can receive funding of up to ₹20 crore for technology development, field validation, pilot testing, and deployment of high-impact water solutions. 

• The mission also aims to strengthen capacity building, knowledge generation, intellectual property creation, and indigenous technological capabilities in the water sector. 

• Key Focus Areas: The mission will focus on five priority themes:

1. Water Resource Assessment and Sustainable Management – improving monitoring, planning, and sustainable utilisation of water resources. 

2. Drinking Water – ensuring safe, affordable, and reliable access to potable water. 

3. Water Quality and Ecological Health – addressing pollution, ecosystem degradation, and water-quality challenges. 

4. Water Use Efficiency and Circular Economy – promoting efficient water use, recycling, reuse, and resource recovery. 

5. Climate Resilience and Adaptation – developing solutions to address climate-induced water stress, droughts, floods, and extreme weather events.

Significance of the Mission

• Strengthening Water Security: The mission seeks to develop scalable and locally adaptable solutions for addressing water scarcity, groundwater depletion, pollution, and climate-induced water stress. 

• Promoting Startup-Led Innovation: Dedicated funding and open calls will encourage startups and MSMEs to develop commercially viable water technologies and prototypes. 

• Bridging Research and Implementation: The programme supports the entire innovation cycle—from laboratory research and prototype development to field validation and large-scale deployment. 

• Democratising Research Funding: ANRF aims to expand access to research funding beyond a few elite institutions by supporting smaller universities, startups, MSMEs, and emerging innovators across the country. 

• Capacity Building and Intellectual Property Creation: The mission emphasises knowledge generation, capacity building, and creation of intellectual property in the water sector, thereby strengthening India's long-term innovation ecosystem.

About Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)

• ANRF is a statutory body established under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act, 2023. 

• It aims to seed, grow, and promote research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation across India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. 

• ANRF serves as the apex body for providing strategic direction, coordination, and funding support for scientific research and innovation in the country, in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. 

• With the establishment of ANRF, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), constituted under the SERB Act, 2008, has been subsumed into the Foundation.