India's need for water increasing: Shekhawat

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday said India's need for water is increasing with its growing population and economy and is likely to exceed the 1,500 billion cubic metre-mark by 2050.

The Jal Shakti minister was speaking at the 16th Civil Services Day.

"We have become the most populated country in the world though the official figures are yet to come out. We are also the fastest growing economy in the world and our need for water is also increasing," he said.

Underlining that water-bearing capacity has to be increased, Shekhawat said while the country's present requirement of water stands at 1,100 billion cubic metres, it is likely to exceed the 1,500 billion cubic metre-mark by 2050.

The minister highlighted that the BJP-led central government concentrated on the last mile saturation.

"But achieving last mile saturation needed a lot of work and bureaucrats played a very important role in fulfilling India's target set under the Jal Jeevan mission," he said, adding, "This government gave freedom to bureaucrats to work freely”.

Shekhawat added that development work done by India has inspired the whole world.