Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Abhiyan
Up to 90% grant to build farm ponds, wells, check dams and other recharge structures that bring irrigation to around 2.5 lakh hectares.
Run by: Multi-department mission led by the Water Resources and Rural Development Departments, Government of Bihar
- Grant rate
- Up to 90% of cost
- Structures funded
- Ponds, wells, check dams, recharge pits
- Irrigation restored
- ~2.5 lakh hectares
- Phase 1+2 outlay
- ₹37,000+ crore (2019–25)
- Departments involved
- 15, led by Rural Development
- Launched
- 9 August 2019
Overview
This is Bihar's cross-department water-security mission — it funds a wide range of structures, from individual farm ponds and dug wells to community check dams and recharge pits, aimed at reviving groundwater and creating irrigation sources where none existed.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched the mission on 9 August 2019 (Bihar Prithvi Diwas), with implementation on the ground beginning that 2 October, Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. The state cabinet backed it with ₹24,524 crore for the first phase, 2019–20 to 2021–22, and followed up with a further ₹12,568.97 crore for 2022–25 — over ₹37,000 crore across the two phases combined. Fifteen government departments implement it together — among them Rural Development, Water Resources, Minor Water Resources, Public Health Engineering, and Environment, Forest & Climate Change — against 11 identified components: seven aimed at water conservation and storage (reviving and de-encroaching ponds and wells, building check dams and recharge pits, rooftop rainwater harvesting) and four covering afforestation, alternative/organic agriculture, solar energy and public awareness.
In its first full year (2020–21) alone, the mission revived 6,097 ponds, built 85,233 recharge pits and 1,701 check dams, and planted 3.92 crore saplings against a 2.51 crore target; the Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department alone got ₹517.28 crore in FY2024–25 toward the plantation drive, taking the cumulative count past 14 crore saplings. By FY2025–26, 2,537 works had been administratively approved under the mission and 2,371 completed — restoring irrigation capacity across roughly 2,51,962 hectares (close to the often-quoted ~2.5 lakh hectares) and around 1,094 lakh cubic metres of water-storage capacity.
Independent assessments have flagged that results are uneven: NITI Aayog's SDG India Index for 2020–21 placed Bihar last among states on the climate-action goal, at 16 points out of 100 against Odisha's 70, and 63 blocks recorded a groundwater-level decline of 10 to 200 feet over the preceding decade despite the mission's recharge push. The area irrigated through canals and minor sources also fell, from 1,27,300 hectares in 2016–17 to 1,17,760 hectares in 2020–21. None of this changes what an individual farmer can apply for — it is useful context for how large a gap the mission is still working to close.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- Up to 90% grant on building a farm pond, well, check dam or recharge structure.
- Creates or revives an irrigation source on land that previously had none.
- Recharges groundwater in the surrounding area, benefiting nearby wells too.
- Runs as a long-term, multi-phase mission — into a second funded phase through 2024–25 and beyond — not a one-off drive.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer or rural landholder in Bihar needing an irrigation/water-recharge structure
- Land suitable for the proposed structure as assessed by the district mission team
- Application routed through the panchayat/block office under the mission
Not covered
- Land already covered by a similar structure under another scheme
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Aadhaar card
- Land record
- Bank passbook
- Application form through the panchayat/block Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali cell
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Apply through the panchayat/block office
Submit a request for the specific structure (pond, well, check dam) needed, through the local Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali cell.
- 2
Site assessment and approval
The district mission team assesses site suitability and sanctions the structure and grant amount.
- 3
Construction and grant release
Once built and verified, the grant amount (up to 90%) is released to the beneficiary.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- Each district runs its own Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali cell under the District Magistrate, coordinating the 15 implementing departments — a stuck application, a rejected site, or a delayed grant should first go to your block-level mission office or the district cell.
- If that does not resolve it, escalate through Bihar Lok Shikayat, the state's public grievance redressal system set up under the Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act, 2015 — file online at lokshikayat.bihar.gov.in or call the toll-free 1800-345-6284. Complaints must legally be resolved within 60 working days, with a two-level appeal if not.
Frequently asked questions
Is this only for individual farmers, or also community structures?
Both — it funds individual farm ponds/wells as well as community-level check dams and recharge structures.
Has this mission ended?
No. It ran a first funded phase from 2019–20 to 2021–22 (₹24,524 crore) and a second from 2022–23 to 2024–25 (₹12,568.97 crore), and work — plantation, pond revival, check dams — continued into FY2025–26 with thousands of works still being approved and completed.
Do I pay the remaining cost upfront?
Typically the beneficiary's share (the balance beyond the grant) is arranged before or during construction — check the exact terms with the local mission cell.
Which departments actually run this — who do I approach?
Fifteen departments implement it together, led by Rural Development alongside Water Resources, Minor Water Resources, Public Health Engineering and Environment, Forest & Climate Change. In practice, start at your block-level Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali cell or panchayat office rather than trying to identify the right department yourself.
Has the mission actually improved groundwater levels?
Results are mixed. The mission has revived thousands of ponds and built tens of thousands of recharge structures, but independent data — including NITI Aayog's SDG India Index — has shown groundwater still declining in dozens of blocks and irrigated area from canals/minor sources falling between 2016–17 and 2020–21. It is a genuine, funded effort, not yet a fully solved problem.
Facts checked against jaljeevanhariyali.bihar.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.