What is Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS)?

Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS) is a whole-of-government campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 April 2022 — National Panchayati Raj Day, observed in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year — to construct or rejuvenate at least 75 water bodies (Amrit Sarovars) in every district of India. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal ministry, coordinating with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. MAS is not a new central sector scheme with its own budget line — it is a convergence campaign that routes money already available under MGNREGA, PMKSY-Watershed, the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies component of PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Panchayats, District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA), State schemes and CSR into a common Amrit Sarovar target that every district collector reports on the Amrit Sarovar Portal.

What is the size and specification of one Amrit Sarovar?

Each Amrit Sarovar is required to have a minimum water-holding area of one acre (about 4,047 square metres) with a water-holding capacity of about 10,000 cubic metres, situated on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land so that the water body is a genuine common resource rather than a private on-farm structure. Where an existing tank, pond or check dam already meets these thresholds and is in disuse, MAS treats its desilting, embankment strengthening, catchment treatment and inlet-outlet repair as an eligible Amrit Sarovar under the rejuvenation category. Where no suitable water body exists, a new Amrit Sarovar is constructed. Every completed Amrit Sarovar is expected to have an inaugural plaque, a Swachhata drive around it, and a tree plantation of native species along the embankment.

How many Amrit Sarovars have been completed so far and by which agencies?

The original target under Mission Amrit Sarovar Phase 1 was 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15 August 2023, based on 75 water bodies in each of the ~700+ districts of the country. The MoRD dashboard on the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) reports that the country crossed the 50,000-mark before the deadline, with more than 68,000 sites identified and construction / rejuvenation work reported at over 40,000 sites by early 2023, and continuing thereafter. The majority of the work is delivered through MGNREGA convergence — the Rural Development Department at the state level and the Block / Panchayat administration act as executing agencies. Additional works are executed by state Minor Irrigation, Watershed and Water Resources departments, and by CSR partners under agreements with the district collector.

How is Mission Amrit Sarovar funded — is it a new central sector scheme?

Mission Amrit Sarovar does not have its own line-item central sector allocation the way, say, PM-KUSUM or Atal Bhujal Yojana has. MAS is a convergence campaign — the water body itself is financed by whichever combination of existing schemes fits the site: MGNREGA for earthwork and unskilled labour, PMKSY-Watershed for catchment treatment, PMKSY-HKKP RRR for tank rejuvenation of larger structures, 15th Finance Commission tied grants (which mandate that a share of Panchayat funds be spent on drinking water, rainwater harvesting and sanitation), District Mineral Foundation Trust for districts with mining revenue, CAMPA for the plantation and afforestation on the embankment, and CSR contributions from PSUs and private companies. This is why MAS reporting on the Amrit Sarovar Portal is oriented around geo-tagged site-level completion rather than around a single ministry's budget expenditure line.

What is Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 and what is different from Phase 1?

Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in December 2024 with a sharper focus on climate resilience, water quality and groundwater recharge, rather than only on the number of water bodies completed. Phase 2 sharpens convergence with Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain (JSA:CTR) — an annual campaign of the Ministry of Jal Shakti — and encourages upgradation of Phase 1 Amrit Sarovars with recharge shafts, silt traps, fisheries development under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and native-species plantation. Phase 2 also emphasises maintenance ownership by the Gram Panchayat (through the standing Water and Sanitation sub-committee) and periodic monitoring of water level and quality, rather than the one-time construction handover of Phase 1.

How does Mission Amrit Sarovar help farmers directly?

For a farmer with land in the command area of an Amrit Sarovar, MAS delivers three direct benefits. First, protective / life-saving irrigation for kharif crops and, in favourable years, one supplementary rabi irrigation from stored surface water — reducing the dependence on borewell pumping during long dry spells. Second, groundwater recharge — an Amrit Sarovar of ~10,000 cubic metres capacity typically infiltrates a substantial share of its stored volume into the local aquifer over the post-monsoon months, raising the water table in nearby dug wells and shallow tubewells over successive years. Third, allied livelihoods — the Gram Panchayat can lease fishing rights in the water body under PMMSY, farmers can water livestock at the sarovar rather than at the field borewell, and duck-cum-fish and integrated aquaculture models are eligible on the same water body.

How can a Gram Panchayat or farmer propose a new Amrit Sarovar site?

Proposals are routed through the Gram Panchayat and the Block Development Office to the District Collector, who is the district-level nodal officer for Mission Amrit Sarovar. The Gram Sabha or the Panchayat Water and Sanitation sub-committee identifies a candidate site on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land that meets the one-acre / 10,000 cubic metre threshold, or an existing derelict tank / pond that can be rejuvenated to that specification. The Junior Engineer of the Block Panchayat prepares the technical estimate, typically as an MGNREGA works estimate with convergence tags for CAMPA plantation and, if applicable, PMKSY-Watershed catchment treatment. Once sanctioned by the District Collector, the site is uploaded to the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) with geo-coordinates and reported through the standard MGNREGA MIS.

Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS) — 75 water bodies per district, funded by convergence

Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS) is a whole-of-government campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 April 2022 — National Panchayati Raj Day, in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year — to construct or rejuvenate at least 75 water bodies (Amrit Sarovars) in every district of India. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal ministry, coordinating with the Ministries of Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Culture and Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Every Amrit Sarovar is at least one acre in area with a water-holding capacity of about 10,000 cubic metres, situated on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land, and dedicated to farmers for irrigation, livestock, fisheries and groundwater recharge.

MAS is deliberately not a new central sector scheme with its own budget line. It is a convergence campaign — the water body itself is financed by whichever combination of existing schemes fits the site: MGNREGA for earthwork and unskilled labour, PMKSY-Watershed for catchment treatment, the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) component of PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP) for larger tank rejuvenation, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Panchayats (which mandate that a share of Panchayat funds be spent on drinking water, rainwater harvesting and sanitation), District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) for mineral-bearing districts, CAMPA for the plantation and afforestation on the embankment, State minor-irrigation schemes and CSR contributions. Every completed Amrit Sarovar is geo-tagged and reported on the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in).

Why 75, and why every district?

The number 75 is symbolic — MAS was launched in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence. Anchoring the target at 75 water bodies per district — rather than as a national headline number — was a deliberate design choice: it forces every District Collector to be personally accountable for progress on the Amrit Sarovar Portal, and it distributes the water-body rejuvenation programme evenly across the country rather than concentrating it in a few water-stressed districts. With more than 700 districts across the states and Union Territories, the Phase 1 headline target came to ~50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15 August 2023.

Design specification of one Amrit Sarovar

Water-holding area: minimum 1 acre (~4,047 square metres).
Water-holding capacity: about 10,000 cubic metres (10 million litres).
Land: Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land — not private on-farm land, so that the water body is a genuine common resource.
New vs rejuvenated: where a derelict tank or pond already meets the threshold, its desilting, embankment strengthening, catchment treatment and inlet-outlet repair is counted as an Amrit Sarovar under the rejuvenation category.
Ancillary works: a plaque with the Amrit Sarovar identifier, a native-species plantation on the embankment (Peepal, Neem, Banyan, Jamun, fruit trees), a Swachhata drive around the site and, wherever feasible, a Republic Day / Independence Day flag hoisting to formalise community ownership.

The convergence stack — which existing scheme funds what

The financing model for an Amrit Sarovar is a stack of existing schemes, sequenced by the Block Panchayat's Junior Engineer and sanctioned by the District Collector:

MGNREGA (Ministry of Rural Development). The single largest funding source in practice — earthwork, silt excavation and unskilled labour for tank desilting or new tank construction, booked as an MGNREGA works estimate through the NREGASoft MIS.
PMKSY-Watershed (Department of Land Resources, MoRD). Catchment-area treatment upstream of the sarovar — contour bunding, gully plugging, ridge-to-valley soil and moisture conservation — that reduces siltation and improves inflow.
PMKSY-HKKP RRR of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti). The Repair, Renovation and Restoration component, for larger traditional tanks that already have a defined command area but have fallen into disuse.
15th Finance Commission tied grants to Panchayats (Ministry of Panchayati Raj). The tied share of Panchayat grants that must be spent on drinking water, rainwater harvesting, water recharge and sanitation — a natural fit for Amrit Sarovar site works.
District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT). In districts with mining revenue, DMFT funds are eligible for drinking water and water-conservation works, and are often routed to Amrit Sarovars in the affected Panchayats.
CAMPA (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change). For the native-species plantation and afforestation component along the embankment.
State minor-irrigation and watershed schemes. State-level programmes such as Mission Kakatiya (Telangana), Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (Rajasthan) or Jalyukt Shivar (Maharashtra) are aligned into the Amrit Sarovar count where the site specification is met.
CSR contributions. Public sector undertakings and private companies adopt Amrit Sarovars in their operating districts under CSR MoUs with the District Collector — typically covering the plantation, community mobilisation and post-completion signage.

Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 — climate resilience and maintenance

Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in December 2024 with a sharper focus on climate resilience, water quality and groundwater recharge, rather than only on the number of water bodies completed. Phase 2 sharpens convergence with the Ministry of Jal Shakti's annual Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain (JSA:CTR) campaign, and encourages upgrading of Phase 1 Amrit Sarovars with recharge shafts, silt traps, inlet screens and native fish stocking under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Crucially, Phase 2 emphasises maintenance ownership by the Gram Panchayat — the standing Water and Sanitation sub-committee of the Panchayat is responsible for periodic monitoring of water level, water quality and embankment condition — rather than treating the one-time construction handover as the end of the campaign.

What an Amrit Sarovar means for a farmer in the command area

Protective / life-saving irrigation. Stored surface water in the sarovar can be lifted to fields to save the kharif crop during a mid-season dry spell, and to give one supplementary rabi irrigation in favourable years — reducing dependence on borewell pumping and diesel.
Groundwater recharge. A ~10,000 cubic metre sarovar infiltrates a substantial share of its stored volume into the local aquifer over the post-monsoon months, raising the water table in nearby dug wells and shallow tubewells over successive years — directly complementary to the community groundwater-management work being done under Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) in the seven priority states.
Livestock and fisheries livelihoods. Farmers water cattle at the sarovar rather than at the field borewell, and the Gram Panchayat can lease fishing rights under PMMSY — adding a new commons-based livelihood stream to the same water body.
Micro-irrigation efficiency. Water lifted from an Amrit Sarovar is best used through drip or sprinkler systems subsidised under PMKSY-PDMC (Per Drop More Crop) rather than through open flood irrigation.

How a Gram Panchayat or farmer can propose an Amrit Sarovar

The Gram Sabha or Panchayat Water and Sanitation sub-committee identifies a candidate site on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land that meets the one-acre / 10,000 cubic metre threshold, or an existing derelict tank that can be rejuvenated to that specification.
The Junior Engineer of the Block Panchayat prepares the technical estimate, typically as an MGNREGA works estimate with convergence tags for CAMPA plantation and, if applicable, PMKSY-Watershed catchment treatment.
The estimate is sanctioned by the District Collector — the district-level nodal officer for Mission Amrit Sarovar — and the site is uploaded to the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) with geo-coordinates and photographs.
Works are executed on the ground, reported through NREGASoft (for the MGNREGA component) and through the Amrit Sarovar Portal (for the site-level completion), and the completed sarovar is formally handed over to the Gram Panchayat for maintenance.

How Mission Amrit Sarovar sits alongside other water schemes

MAS is the site — the physical water body on Gram Panchayat land. The other water schemes are the rules and funding that get the site built, filled and used:

Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) — the community-led groundwater management scheme in seven water-stressed states. An Amrit Sarovar in an ATAL JAL Gram Panchayat is a natural intervention in the Water Security Plan (WSP) for that Panchayat.
Per Drop More Crop (PMKSY-PDMC) — subsidised drip and sprinkler systems that make efficient use of water lifted from an Amrit Sarovar.
PM-KUSUM — solar irrigation pumps that can lift water from an Amrit Sarovar without diesel cost.
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) — inland fisheries development on the same water body, adding a livelihood stream.
Soil Health Card and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) — rational nutrient and organic management in the command area so that improved irrigation does not translate into agrochemical runoff into the sarovar.

Common misunderstandings about Mission Amrit Sarovar

“It’s a new central sector scheme.” No — MAS is a convergence campaign layered on top of MGNREGA, PMKSY, 15th Finance Commission grants and other existing schemes. There is no separate Amrit Sarovar budget head in the Union Budget.
“It funds private farm ponds.” No — Amrit Sarovars are on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land, not on private farm land. Private on-farm rainwater harvesting structures are financed under other schemes (state horticulture schemes, PMKSY-PDMC ancillary works, MGNREGA individual works for eligible households).
“Any pond counts.” No — the site must meet the one-acre area and ~10,000 cubic metre capacity threshold, and be uploaded with geo-coordinates on the Amrit Sarovar Portal. Smaller structures are eligible works under MGNREGA but are not counted as Amrit Sarovars in the MAS dashboard.
“It replaces Atal Bhujal Yojana.” No — ATAL JAL is a demand-side groundwater-management scheme in seven priority states, focused on community water budgeting and behaviour change; MAS is a supply-side rejuvenation campaign nationwide. Where the two overlap (an ATAL JAL Gram Panchayat with an Amrit Sarovar site), they are complementary.

References

Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) — site-level dashboard of identified, under-construction and completed Amrit Sarovars, by state and district.
Ministry of Rural Development (rural.gov.in) — nodal ministry for Mission Amrit Sarovar; MGNREGA and PMKSY-Watershed convergence guidelines.
Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti — PMKSY-HKKP Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies component and Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain (JSA:CTR) convergence.
Ministry of Panchayati Raj (panchayat.gov.in) — 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Panchayats and Panchayat Water & Sanitation sub-committee guidance.
MGNREGA (nrega.nic.in) — NREGASoft MIS through which the labour and earthwork component of Amrit Sarovar works is booked and reported.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) — launch communiqué of 24 April 2022 on National Panchayati Raj Day, and subsequent MoRD press releases on Phase 1 and Phase 2 progress.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS)?: Mission Amrit Sarovar (MAS) is a whole-of-government campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24 April 2022 — National Panchayati Raj Day, observed in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav year — to construct or rejuvenate at least 75 water bodies (Amrit Sarovars) in every district of India. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is the nodal ministry, coordinating with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. MAS is not a new central sector scheme with its own budget line — it is a convergence campaign that routes money already available under MGNREGA, PMKSY-Watershed, the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies component of PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Panchayats, District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT), Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA), State schemes and CSR into a common Amrit Sarovar target that every district collector reports on the Amrit Sarovar Portal.
What is the size and specification of one Amrit Sarovar?: Each Amrit Sarovar is required to have a minimum water-holding area of one acre (about 4,047 square metres) with a water-holding capacity of about 10,000 cubic metres, situated on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land so that the water body is a genuine common resource rather than a private on-farm structure. Where an existing tank, pond or check dam already meets these thresholds and is in disuse, MAS treats its desilting, embankment strengthening, catchment treatment and inlet-outlet repair as an eligible Amrit Sarovar under the rejuvenation category. Where no suitable water body exists, a new Amrit Sarovar is constructed. Every completed Amrit Sarovar is expected to have an inaugural plaque, a Swachhata drive around it, and a tree plantation of native species along the embankment.
How many Amrit Sarovars have been completed so far and by which agencies?: The original target under Mission Amrit Sarovar Phase 1 was 50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15 August 2023, based on 75 water bodies in each of the ~700+ districts of the country. The MoRD dashboard on the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) reports that the country crossed the 50,000-mark before the deadline, with more than 68,000 sites identified and construction / rejuvenation work reported at over 40,000 sites by early 2023, and continuing thereafter. The majority of the work is delivered through MGNREGA convergence — the Rural Development Department at the state level and the Block / Panchayat administration act as executing agencies. Additional works are executed by state Minor Irrigation, Watershed and Water Resources departments, and by CSR partners under agreements with the district collector.
How is Mission Amrit Sarovar funded — is it a new central sector scheme?: Mission Amrit Sarovar does not have its own line-item central sector allocation the way, say, PM-KUSUM or Atal Bhujal Yojana has. MAS is a convergence campaign — the water body itself is financed by whichever combination of existing schemes fits the site: MGNREGA for earthwork and unskilled labour, PMKSY-Watershed for catchment treatment, PMKSY-HKKP RRR for tank rejuvenation of larger structures, 15th Finance Commission tied grants (which mandate that a share of Panchayat funds be spent on drinking water, rainwater harvesting and sanitation), District Mineral Foundation Trust for districts with mining revenue, CAMPA for the plantation and afforestation on the embankment, and CSR contributions from PSUs and private companies. This is why MAS reporting on the Amrit Sarovar Portal is oriented around geo-tagged site-level completion rather than around a single ministry's budget expenditure line.
What is Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 and what is different from Phase 1?: Mission Amrit Sarovar 2.0 was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in December 2024 with a sharper focus on climate resilience, water quality and groundwater recharge, rather than only on the number of water bodies completed. Phase 2 sharpens convergence with Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain (JSA:CTR) — an annual campaign of the Ministry of Jal Shakti — and encourages upgradation of Phase 1 Amrit Sarovars with recharge shafts, silt traps, fisheries development under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and native-species plantation. Phase 2 also emphasises maintenance ownership by the Gram Panchayat (through the standing Water and Sanitation sub-committee) and periodic monitoring of water level and quality, rather than the one-time construction handover of Phase 1.
How does Mission Amrit Sarovar help farmers directly?: For a farmer with land in the command area of an Amrit Sarovar, MAS delivers three direct benefits. First, protective / life-saving irrigation for kharif crops and, in favourable years, one supplementary rabi irrigation from stored surface water — reducing the dependence on borewell pumping during long dry spells. Second, groundwater recharge — an Amrit Sarovar of ~10,000 cubic metres capacity typically infiltrates a substantial share of its stored volume into the local aquifer over the post-monsoon months, raising the water table in nearby dug wells and shallow tubewells over successive years. Third, allied livelihoods — the Gram Panchayat can lease fishing rights in the water body under PMMSY, farmers can water livestock at the sarovar rather than at the field borewell, and duck-cum-fish and integrated aquaculture models are eligible on the same water body.
How can a Gram Panchayat or farmer propose a new Amrit Sarovar site?: Proposals are routed through the Gram Panchayat and the Block Development Office to the District Collector, who is the district-level nodal officer for Mission Amrit Sarovar. The Gram Sabha or the Panchayat Water and Sanitation sub-committee identifies a candidate site on Gram Panchayat / community / revenue land that meets the one-acre / 10,000 cubic metre threshold, or an existing derelict tank / pond that can be rejuvenated to that specification. The Junior Engineer of the Block Panchayat prepares the technical estimate, typically as an MGNREGA works estimate with convergence tags for CAMPA plantation and, if applicable, PMKSY-Watershed catchment treatment. Once sanctioned by the District Collector, the site is uploaded to the Amrit Sarovar Portal (amritsarovar.gov.in) with geo-coordinates and reported through the standard MGNREGA MIS.

Launch date, nodal ministry, convergence-scheme composition, site specification (one acre / ~10,000 cubic metres), Phase 1 target (~50,000 Amrit Sarovars by 15 August 2023) and Phase 2 launch (December 2024) above summarise publicly available material on amritsarovar.gov.in, the Ministry of Rural Development website and PIB communiqués. District-level progress numbers are dynamic and change with each weekly upload on the Amrit Sarovar Portal — Gram Panchayat functionaries and farmers should verify the current status of an identified site with the office of the District Collector, and not from a general reference page.