India is a water-stressed nation. Managing water resources is foundational to development and key to achieving each of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to address extreme poverty and achieve basic human rights.

As India’s population grows—approaching 1.7 billion by 2040—where will the water and food come from in a country where more than 250 million people still live below the poverty line?

The rural poor are often not aware of their rights and do not receive rightful portions of certain benefits that are entitled to them under several welfare programs being run by the centre, state, and local government.