Overview
- A 25-year case study titled "From Gujarat to India: Water Lessons for the World" was launched at IIM Bangalore on October 7, 2026 and was authored by Parameswaran Iyer, Nitin Bassi and Daniel W. Smith.
- The report traces Gujarat’s 2001–2014 reforms as an early laboratory and shows how those approaches informed national programmes after 2014 such as Jal Jeevan Mission, Namami Gange, Atal Bhujal Yojana and Per Drop More Crop.
- Authors distill four core lessons—prioritise governance alongside infrastructure, adopt integrated water-resource management, build community ownership through local bodies like Pani Samitis, and pursue ambitious implementation backed by political will and finance.
- The study advances a '4 Ps' implementation framework of political leadership, public and private finance, multi-level partnerships and people’s participation and flags a global shortfall on SDG6 that it says requires an extra USD 500 billion a year in investment.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the study publicly in early October 2026 and promoted its message for the Global South, underscoring the need for coordinated financing, stronger institutions and community-led local planning to meet rising water demand.