Jal Shakti Minister Paatil distributes notebooks in Varanasi school
Synopsis
Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil shared a notebook distribution event at Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya Durga Kund in Varanasi, where schoolchildren also took a water-conservation pledge and chanted patriotic slogans, in line with the ministry's Jal Shakti Abhiyan outreach.
Key Takeaways
Notebooks were distributed to students at Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya Durga Kund in Varanasi on 9 August 2026 .
Students took a collective pledge to save water at the event, linking the drive to the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launched in 2019 .
The event was shared by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.
Paatil on X, with video footage of the children.
Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency and a frequent site for central government outreach events.
Paatil noted children chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' , 'Vande Mataram' , and 'Thank You Modi ji' at the close of the event.
Schoolchildren at a government school in the heart of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency left class with notebooks in hand — and a pledge to save water on their lips. Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil shared footage on Sunday, 9 August 2026 of a notebook distribution drive held at Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya Durga Kund in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where students also took a collective water-conservation oath.
Paatil described the children as 'very happy', noting that the event closed with the students chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' before calling out 'Thank You Modi ji' — a signature flourish at BJP-organised grassroots outreach events in Varanasi.
Notebooks, water pledges, and the Jal Shakti Abhiyan in classrooms
The drive sits within a well-established pattern for the Jal Shakti Ministry. Since the Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched in 2019, the ministry has pushed water-awareness messaging into schools across states, pairing civic education with material support like stationery. Combining a tangible giveaway — notebooks — with a conservation pledge is a deliberate design: it gives children something to take home and a message to carry with it.
Varanasi is no ordinary venue for such an exercise. As Modi's parliamentary seat, it has served as a recurring stage for central government outreach on everything from infrastructure to cultural programming. A school event here carries symbolic weight beyond its immediate geography.
Small event, bigger signal on school-level water awareness
The moment worth watching is whether events like this translate into structured coordination between the Jal Shakti Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh education department — turning one-off distributions into a sustained school curriculum on water conservation. Right now, the ministry's school-facing work is largely awareness-driven and event-based. A formal state-level tie-up would be the next gear.
For now, the children of Durga Kund have their notebooks — and a pledge that, if kept, costs nothing and conserves everything.
Point of View
Rations, infrastructure — to civic messaging, in this case water conservation, to build grassroots recall for central schemes. Varanasi's status as Modi's seat amplifies every such event's symbolic reach well beyond the district. The Jal Shakti Ministry's school-facing work has so far remained largely event-driven; a formal curriculum partnership with Uttar Pradesh's education department would mark a meaningful shift from optics to policy. Whether that follow-through materialises is the real story to track.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at Durga Kund school in Varanasi?
Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Paatil shared that notebooks were distributed to students at Purva Madhyamik Vidyalaya Durga Kund in Varanasi, and the children also took a pledge to save water at the event.
What is the Jal Shakti Abhiyan?
The Jal Shakti Abhiyan is a water-conservation awareness campaign launched by the central government in 2019, which includes outreach activities at schools across India to promote responsible water use.
Why was the Varanasi school event significant?
Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, making it a high-profile location for central government outreach, and the event combined material support with a water-conservation message aligned with the Jal Shakti Ministry's mandate.
Who is C. R. Paatil?
C. R. Paatil is a senior BJP leader and Union Minister of Jal Shakti. He is a former BJP Gujarat state president and represents the Navsari constituency in Gujarat.
What slogans did the children chant at the Varanasi school event?
According to Paatil's post, the children chanted 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram', and also called out 'Thank You Modi ji' at the close of the event.
