The broader vision of the Vertical is to ensure equitable access to water and land resources while focusing on the sustainable development of the nation. It formulates policy directions and advisories to harness the potential of advanced and ready-to-use technologies and promotes research and development to achieve excellence in water and land resources management.
 

The Vertical aims to enhance the standard of living of all citizens by enabling hassle-free access to these two crucial resources, and to equip all stakeholder organisations in attaining higher standards of service delivery without hampering sustainable development. Further, the Vertical has the following goals:
 

• Provide adequate and safe drinking water (piped) and water for sanitation for citizens and livestock.

• Provide optimum irrigation (har khet ko pani) with improved on-farm water-use efficiency (‘more crop per drop’).

• Provide water to industries, encourage them to utilise recycled/treated water and ensure zero discharge of untreated effluents from industrial units.

• Ensure long-term sustainability of finite groundwater resources.

• Operation and maintenance of water infrastructure with the active participation of farmers and/or consumers.

• Promote R&D to facilitate the adoption of the latest technologies

• Provide water to water-scarce agrarian districts that are rainfed and experience extreme weather shocks, almost twice as high as in irrigated areas.

• Bridge the gap between the irrigation potential created and the irrigation potential utilised of such projects.

• Promote the revitalisation of rivers for the integrated development of river basins and the protection of vanishing rivers.

• Consolidate fragmented plots of farmers to enhance efficiency and equity.

• Create a digitised and integrated land records system that is easily accessible to all states.

• Increase efficiency in the management of land.

• Convert waste and fallow land to productive uses

Policy Analysis and Formulation

The Vertical regularly reviews and analyses the strategies and policies of the two sectors and provides directional inputs. It also takes the lead in formulating new policies.
 

Impact Analysis of Reforms

Assessment being the primary requirement for improvement of any action, the Vertical considers impact analysis of reforms as paramount in its functioning. A good number of in-house studies and detailed analyses, with the help of evaluation agencies, are done in the sectors of irrigation, drinking water, sanitation, agriculture, and land resources.
 

Identifying Areas Requiring Special Attention

The Vertical proactively identifies geographical locations and sub-sectors that require special attention. This step has led to the formulation of tailor-made schemes and modification of many ongoing ones.
 

Resource Management Initiatives

It provides continuous support to all Ministries, Departments, organisations, and institutions in identifying and adopting best practices. Further, steps are taken to augment the supply and availability of resources with special attention in curbing factors affecting their quality.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Water

AI and machine learning (ML) are being widely adopted to improve service delivery in major sectors to remove hassles and raise comfort levels. The Hon’ble Prime Minister during his address on World Water Day on 22 March said, ‘Today when we are trying for rapid development, it is not possible without water security, without effective water management. The vision of India’s development, the vision of India’s self-reliance, is dependent on our water sources, is dependent on our water connectivity.’ The Vertical is committed to harnessing the potentials of AI and ML to augment resource management initiatives in the two sectors.
 

Appraisal and Evaluation 

• Examination of various project proposals for Standing Finance Committee/Expenditure Finance Committee’s consideration.

• Examination of DPRs related to drinking water schemes, irrigation, sanitation, land management and furnishing comments on technical and financial feasibility.

• Examination of PIB proposal of projects in the sector and furnishing comments on technical and financial feasibility.

• Examination of Cabinet Notes on the sector for Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approval.

• Examination of proposals for external assistance funding in water and land resources sector

• Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti

• Ministry of Rural Development

• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

• Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change

• All State Governments

• SOP for Restoration and Rejuvenation of Ponds

• Model Conclusive Land Titling Act & Rules

• Compendium of Best Practices in Water Management

• PMKSY Roadmap

• Composite Water Management Index 1.0

• Report on River Revitalization

• Composite Water Management Index 2.0

• Concept Note on PPP for Micro Irrigation

• Compendium of Best Practices

• Report of the Committee on Flood Management

• Model Land Leasing Act

Current

• Composite Water Management Index 5.0

• Preparation of standards and guidelines for assessment of water neutrality, water positivity and water negativity Rejuvenation of water bodies with community participation

• Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) 3.0

• Cost-Effective Sustainable Desalination to Combat Water Scarcity of Coastal Areas

• Compendium of Best Practices 2
   

Upcoming

• Vulnerability and risk assessment of wet-lands and preparation of management plans with satellite image (Landsat) analysis Rejuvenation of water bodies with community participation on pan India basis.

• Treating of waste water using nano-bubble technology Strategy paper on improving water use efficiency in irrigation sector.

• Sustainable economic development model based on the Ganga, ‘Arth Ganga’

• Composite Water Management Index 4.0

• Strategy paper on assessing the techno-economic feasibility for providing sustainable drinking water facilities in urban areas

• Draft recommendations to promote water trading and setting up of water regulation authority

• Research study on the implementation of Model Agriculture Land Leasing Act, 2016

• GIS-based study to assess the extent of infringement in floodplain zones

• Development of standard operating procedure for restoration and rejuvenation of ponds

• Development of water-conscious parameters for major stakeholders of the sector

• Cost-effective sustainable desalination: pilot projects

• Guidelines on safe reuse of treated wastewater