Sarkari Yojana
Research and Development Programme in Water Sector
About Research and Development Programme in Water Sector
Launched by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Research and Development Programme in Water Sector funds research aimed at solving water-sector challenges and building sustainable, self-reliant solutions. Under this programme, Grants-in-Aid are extended for basic research, applied research, and action research, covering components such as researcher remuneration, travel costs, infrastructure expenses, experimental charges, and overhead charges. To apply, a researcher must put together a detailed proposal that outlines earlier work done on the topic, the objectives and methodology of the new study, its estimated cost, duration, milestones, and how physical and financial progress will be phased. Implementation rests with the Indian National Committees together with the Research and Development Division of the Ministry of Water Resources, and applications are accepted only offline, through physical copies submitted to the relevant committee.
Scheme Overview
Central Government
Ministry Of Water Resources,River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
Individual, University / Institution
Scheme Details
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for Research and Development Programme in Water Sector, applicants must satisfy the following conditions:
Eligible applicants include academicians and experts affiliated with…
Eligible applicants include academicians and experts affiliated with Indian Institutes of Technology, recognized universities, recognized engineering and agricultural colleges, or Water and Land Management Institutes.
Experts attached to an organization functioning under the…
Experts attached to an organization functioning under the Ministry of Water Resources, or to a Central or State Government research and development institute or laboratory, are also eligible.
Indian Non-Governmental Organizations registered under the applicable Society…
Indian Non-Governmental Organizations registered under the applicable Society Act may apply.
Non-profit, recognized Indian Private Research and Development Institutions…
Non-profit, recognized Indian Private Research and Development Institutions registered with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research are eligible as well.
The proposed research topic must fall within the…
The proposed research topic must fall within the subject domain or priority areas assigned to the relevant Indian National Committee.
The applicant must confirm that the proposed study…
The applicant must confirm that the proposed study has not already been carried out elsewhere, so as to avoid duplication of research.
The applicant needs to identify the likely users…
The applicant needs to identify the likely users of the resulting technology as well as the end-users of the research findings.
Funding cannot be sought for foreign travel, the…
Funding cannot be sought for foreign travel, the salaries of the institute's regular staff, or honorariums for investigators.
Grant money may not be used for constructing,…
Grant money may not be used for constructing, maintaining, or repairing buildings, nor for purchasing vehicles or air conditioners.
Any earlier research project funded by the Ministry…
Any earlier research project funded by the Ministry of Water Resources must be completed before a fresh proposal from the same applicant will be considered.
Indian citizenship is required for eligibility for research…
Indian citizenship is required for eligibility for research fellowships and associateships under the scheme.
On the date of application, the upper age…
On the date of application, the upper age limit stands at 28 years for a Junior Research Fellow, 32 years for a Senior Research Fellow, and 35 years for a Research Associate. Desirable Criteria Bringing on board a Co-Principal Investigator for the research scheme is considered a desirable, though not mandatory, addition. Post-Selection Conditions
A Non-Governmental Organization applicant must execute a bond…
A Non-Governmental Organization applicant must execute a bond with two sureties in favour of the President of India.
A separate audited account, along with a register…
A separate audited account, along with a register of permanent or semi-permanent assets bought exclusively from the project grant, must be maintained.
Research papers resulting from the funded project may…
Research papers resulting from the funded project may be published in leading journals only after obtaining prior approval from the Ministry of Water Resources.
All publications and patent filings arising from the…
All publications and patent filings arising from the work must acknowledge the support received from the funding agency. Relaxation The upper age limit prescribed for fellowships can be relaxed for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, as well as for women and physically handicapped applicants.
Benefits Provided
Research and Development Programme in Water Sector provides the following benefits to eligible applicants:
Grants-in-Aid are made available for Basic Research, Applied…
Grants-in-Aid are made available for Basic Research, Applied Research, and Action Research.
Research personnel who assist the investigators receive remuneration…
Research personnel who assist the investigators receive remuneration and emoluments under the scheme.
As per the revised rates, monthly emoluments stand…
As per the revised rates, monthly emoluments stand at ₹25,000/- for a Junior Research Fellow, ₹28,000/- for a Senior Research Fellow, and ₹36,000/- to ₹40,000/- for Research Associates depending on level.
Experiment-related costs are covered, including consumables, wages of…
Experiment-related costs are covered, including consumables, wages of full-time non-research staff, and outsourced services such as typing and laboratory analysis.
Travel expenses linked to the research are reimbursed,…
Travel expenses linked to the research are reimbursed, covering one long-distance trip per year by one person to attend a research and development session or committee meeting.
Infrastructure funding is available for buying permanent equipment,…
Infrastructure funding is available for buying permanent equipment, software, and any required meteorological or satellite data.
Overhead charges are paid to the host institute…
Overhead charges are paid to the host institute to cover facilities such as infrastructure, staff, water, electricity, and communication.
For projects valued up to ₹1,00,00,000/-, overhead charges…
For projects valued up to ₹1,00,00,000/-, overhead charges work out to 10% of the total project cost for educational institutions and Non-Governmental Organizations, and 8% for laboratories and institutions under Central Government Departments.
A contingency allowance of up to 5% of…
A contingency allowance of up to 5% of the total cost or ₹1,00,00,000/-, whichever is lower, is built in for unforeseen situations.
Payments are made through direct transfer into the…
Payments are made through direct transfer into the bank account of the appropriate authority at the institute.
Funds are disbursed in installments that correspond to…
Funds are disbursed in installments that correspond to the progress of the work and the actual requirement during the financial year. Conditions
The beneficiary institute is expected to provide complete…
The beneficiary institute is expected to provide complete infrastructural support — accommodation, water, electricity, and communication — to ensure smooth execution of the project.
Non-Governmental Organizations and Private Institutions must fund 50%…
Non-Governmental Organizations and Private Institutions must fund 50% of the equipment cost from their own resources.
Overhead expenses are released to the institute by…
Overhead expenses are released to the institute by the Ministry of Water Resources only once the research scheme is completed and the final report has been accepted.
To receive subsequent installments, the Principal Investigator must…
To receive subsequent installments, the Principal Investigator must submit an annual progress report detailing milestones reached, along with a utilization certificate, to the concerned Indian National Committee on or before 30th June each year.
Once the scheme concludes, any unspent balance or…
Once the scheme concludes, any unspent balance or unused funds, together with accrued interest, must be refunded to the Pay and Accounts Office through a crossed demand draft.
Documents Required
Applicants should keep the following documents ready before starting the application:
Application Stage
Full research proposal, submitted as five printed copies…
Full research proposal, submitted as five printed copies plus a soft copy in PDF and Word formats
Short bio-data of the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal…
Short bio-data of the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator
End-user feedback, supported by a certificate from at…
End-user feedback, supported by a certificate from at least two end users
Endorsement from the Head of the Institution
Endorsement from the Head of the Institution
Undertaking from the collaborating institution (applicable only to…
Undertaking from the collaborating institution (applicable only to multi-institutional proposals)
Proforma invoices or budgetary quotations (needed for equipment/commercial…
Proforma invoices or budgetary quotations (needed for equipment/commercial items priced above ₹1,000/-)
Memorandum of Association along with rules and regulations…
Memorandum of Association along with rules and regulations (Non-Governmental Organizations only)
Registrar's certificate confirming submission of audited accounts for…
Registrar's certificate confirming submission of audited accounts for the preceding three financial years (Non-Governmental Organizations only)
Income tax returns for the previous three financial…
Income tax returns for the previous three financial years (Non-Governmental Organizations only)
Affidavit confirming the organization has not been blacklisted…
Affidavit confirming the organization has not been blacklisted by any government agency (Non-Governmental Organizations only) Benefit Disbursal and Renewal Stage
Signed acceptance of the grant's terms and conditions
Signed acceptance of the grant's terms and conditions
Bond with two sureties (Non-Governmental Organizations only, before…
Bond with two sureties (Non-Governmental Organizations only, before grant release)
Annual progress report, comprising a brief narrative and…
Annual progress report, comprising a brief narrative and the prescribed progress proforma
Utilization certificate in Form GFR 19-A
Utilization certificate in Form GFR 19-A
Head-wise expenditure statement
Head-wise expenditure statement
Statement of equipment purchased
Statement of equipment purchased
Certificate confirming research staff were engaged as per…
Certificate confirming research staff were engaged as per prescribed norms
Certificate confirming the grant does not duplicate a…
Certificate confirming the grant does not duplicate a staff structure already covered by another grant Completion Stage
Draft completion report (five copies)
Draft completion report (five copies)
Final completion report (five printed copies plus a…
Final completion report (five printed copies plus a soft copy)
Complete source code and user manual, in print…
Complete source code and user manual, in print and soft copy (only where the project involves developing software or computer programmes)
How to Apply
Offline Application
Applicants can apply for Research and Development Programme in Water Sector through the offline application process outlined below.
Preparing the Research Proposal After going through the…
Preparing the Research Proposal After going through the guidelines carefully, the applicant should draft a thorough research proposal covering a synopsis of prior work, the study's objectives, methodology, estimated cost, duration, milestones, and the phasing of physical and financial progress. The cost estimate needs to be broken down under specific expenditure heads and backed by relevant quotations and justifications.
Securing End User Views Next, the applicant should…
Securing End User Views Next, the applicant should identify potential end-users for the research outcomes, obtain their feedback, and attach a certificate from at least two such end-users along with the proposal.
Submitting the Application The Principal Investigator needs to…
Submitting the Application The Principal Investigator needs to have the proposal recommended and endorsed by the Head of the Institute, and then send five physical copies of the proposal, together with a soft copy in PDF and Word format, to the secretariat of the concerned Indian National Committee.
Evaluating and Reviewing the Proposal The secretariat of…
Evaluating and Reviewing the Proposal The secretariat of the Indian National Committee examines the proposal, assigns it an identification number, and forwards it to peer reviewers and committee members. Where necessary, the Principal Investigator may be asked to revise the proposal to incorporate reviewers' and experts' feedback.
Approving the Scheme The applicant is then invited…
Approving the Scheme The applicant is then invited to present the proposal to the committee for discussion. Proposals that are recommended go to the Research And Development Division for administrative approval, following which the competent authority issues a formal sanction order.
Executing the Bond and Releasing Funds The Principal…
Executing the Bond and Releasing Funds The Principal Investigator and the Head of the Institution must submit their acceptance of the terms and conditions, and Non-Governmental Organizations must additionally execute the prescribed bond with two sureties. Once this is done, the Ministry releases the first installment of funds directly into the institution's bank account. Application Process Detailing Where to Apply: Physical applications should be sent to the Secretariat of the Indian National Committee on Surface Water (Sewa Bhawan, R.K. Puram, New Delhi), the Indian National Committee on Ground Water (Jamnagar House, Mansingh Road, New Delhi), or the Indian National Committee on Climate Change (National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee), depending on the domain of research. Application Deadlines: Research proposals may be submitted at any time throughout the year. Grievance Redressal / Help & Support: Director, Research And Development Division, Ministry of Water Resources, Wing No. 4, I Floor, West Block No.1, R.K. Puram, New Delhi - 110066. Telephone and Fax: 011-26104082. Email: watrnd-mowr@nic.in.
Official Application & Website
Verify the latest eligibility, dates and instructions before applying.