New Delhi, Nov. 21 -- NITI Aayog released a report titled 'Water Budgeting in Aspirational Blocks' on Wednesday, marking a key step toward strengthening local water budgeting as part of India's broader push for sustainable water management.

The report was unveiled by NITI Aayog Member Dr. V. K. Paul, who emphasised the need to involve local communities in the next phase of the initiative to enhance water availability through measurable, outcome-oriented interventions that strengthen livelihoods and public health.

The report draws on a block-level water budgeting exercise conducted using Varuni, a web-based platform designed to support integrated water management.

Varuni enables structured estimation of water demand across human, livest...