This project covers six Gram Panchayats in two Districts (Warangal and Ananthapur) in Andhra Pradesh, India. Gram Panchayats will be identified based on their groundwater exploitation status; their willingness to participate in piloting local groundwater regulations; and their strengths in terms of governance and transparency. Each Gram Panchayat selected may contain five to ten smaller habitations within, which are spread across more than one hydrological unit. The number of poor benifiting directly from the project is estimated at around 8,000. Total duration of the project is 60 months, starting from 1st July 2011. While all inhabitants of the Gram Panchayats, the Gram Panchayat leaders, and higher level institutions involved in water allocation and management are the target groups, the ultimate beneficiaires of the project are the marginalized sections of the society such as dalits, women, children, indigenous people, small and marginal farmers within the selected Gram Panchayats.