India, April 6 -- India accounts for around 25 per cent of global groundwater withdrawals, the Public Accounts Committee has flagged, and urged the Jal Shakti Ministry to persuade states to curb excessive extraction.

The observations were made in the panel's 41st report 'Ground Water Management and Regulation,' presented in the Lok Sabha on April 1 by its chairperson, KC Venugopal, and laid in the Rajya Sabha the same day.

The report, an action taken account of the committee's earlier recommendations, said India is the largest user of groundwater in the world, with extraction estimated at 245 billion cubic metres (BCM), accounting for about 25 per cent of global withdrawals, fulfilling nearly 80 per cent of drinking water needs, and aro...