The Dialogue on Water Security in Bikaner Promotes Stakeholder Convergence

Jalagam 2.0, a national-level workshop, promoted stakeholder convergence through discussions on community-led rural water security at Bikaner Zila Udyog Sangh on March 10, 2025. The event, enabled by the CSR initiative of DCB Bank and NIRDPR (National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj) as the knowledge partner, brought together experts, policymakers, practitioners, and community voices to explore sustainable water management solutions.

The first series (2023-24) held regional workshops across four locations, stressing community adaptability and sustenance mechanisms addressing water and climate change in Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. This year, the workshops travelled to Indore in Madhya Pradesh, and Bikaner in Rajasthan, furthering the dialogue and conversations around water security.

The Bikaner workshop opened with a Plenary, featuring insights from Mr. Ramesh Saran, CEO, Urmul Trust, Dr. Ruchira Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, NIRD&PR, and Ms. Arti M. Grover, S M Sehgal Foundation.

Moderated by Mr. Salahuddin Saiphy, S M Sehgal Foundation, with esteemed panelists such as Padma Shri awardee Mr. Laxman Singh, Gram Vikas Nav Yuvak Mandal Lapodia (GVNML), Mr. Umendra Dutt, Kheti Virasat Mission, and Ms. Lata Kachhava, SURE, the first panel discussion focused on addressing the knowledge gap between traditional and modern water management practices.

Further ahead, Mr. Dilip Singh Bidawat, Unnati Foundation, moderated an Open House providing a platform for community representatives to voice their concerns and propose or share solutions for water security.

Following this, the second panel discussion moderated by Dr. Ruchira Bhattacharya (NIRD&PR) looked at challenges and opportunities in water security, featuring Mr. Anshul Ojha, Desert Resource Centre, and Dr. Indira Khurana, Indian Himalayan River Basins Council, as experts.

About ‘Jalagam’ Workshop Series

The ‘Jalagam’ workshop series fosters collaboration and experience-sharing in water resources management and highlights challenges and practices across regions.

DCB Bank supports, collaborates, and works with communities and experts across India to implement impactful changes in sustainable livelihood, protection of water, and climate change adaptation projects that are sustainable over the long term. Projects with S M Sehgal Foundation pertain to watershed development and creating surface water storage and ponds across six states.

Anjali Makhija, Trustee and CEO, S M Sehgal Foundation shares, “Many villages have benefited from the combined efforts of DCB Bank and S M Sehgal Foundation on water conservation and sustainability. Our partnership with DCB Bank has evolved with time and continues to grow with a footprint across six states.”

DCB Bank Limited and S M Sehgal Foundation formed a partnership in 2017 to embark on community projects focused on water. This collaboration has made a significant impact, benefiting more than thousands of community members across six states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana, resulting in the harvesting of over 365 million (36 crore) liters of water. The projects include groundwater augmentation through check dams, rejuvenating ponds for surface water storage, and rainwater harvesting units in schools to enable access to drinking water.

ABOUT DCB BANK

DCB Bank is a new generation private sector bank with 457 branches (as on 31st Dec 2024) across India. It is a scheduled commercial bank regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.

DCB Bank’s business segments are Retail, Micro-SME, SME, Mid-Corporate, Agriculture, Government, Public Sector, Indian Banks, Co-operative Banks and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC). DCB Bank has approximately one million customers. The Bank has a range of products and services including loans, deposits, online and mobile banking services, investment product distribution, bank guarantee and trade finance.

ABOUT S M SEHGAL FOUNDATION

S M Sehgal Foundation established in 1999 as a public charitable trust strengthens community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change across rural India. Key programs on Water Management, Agriculture Development, Local Participation and Sustainability, and Transform Lives one school at a time are supported by outreach for development and research teams together engaging in interactive dialogues to determine informed actions to achieve sustainable results.

For more information, email: communications@smsfoundation.org