NITI Aayog has released the second round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0) in August, 2019.
It was first launched and conceptualized in 2018 as a tool to instill sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states. CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.
Rankings
Non-Himalayan States: Gujarat held on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
North-Eastern and Himalayan States: In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
Union Territories: The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Puducherry has been declared as the top ranker.
Significance of CWMI
The Index is expected to promote the spirit of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ in the country, and ensure sustainable and effective management of resources.
It is envisioned to bring about much-required improvements in water resource management and conservation in India in a coherent and collaborative manner.
The Index will measure both the overall progress made by states in water management and the incremental improvement in performance across time.
The results of the entire exercise are used to propel action in the states to improve water outcomes, besides improving data collection and performance monitoring mechanisms.
