Under the government's flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), more than 15.68 crore rural households — 81 pc of the total of 19.36 crore — now have tap water connections, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna told the Rajya Sabha. Only, a little over 3 crore (17 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections at the time of the JJM announcement.
The JJM uses a 'Just in Time' funding strategy, releasing central grants in two annual installments that are divided into two tranches following an evaluation of fund utilisation. Beneficiary data linked to Aadhaar, asset geotagging, third-party inspections, and IoT-based water measurement in villages are all used for monitoring.
The Functionality Assessment 2022 found that 86 pc of households had functional tap connections, 85 pc received enough water, 80 pc had a consistent supply, and 87 pc received water that complied with quality standards.
The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0 have greatly increased access to water in urban areas. While AMRUT 2.0 projects cover 407 lakh connections, AMRUT has provided 189 lakh new or serviced water connections out of a target of 139 lakh.
Also Read: Lok Sabha passes two key sports bills amid intense uproar
In the meantime, 8,203 water-stressed gram panchayats spread across 229 administrative blocks in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are experiencing groundwater depletion as a result of the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABY), which was introduced in April 2020. The programme, which has a ₹6,000 crore total budget, uses a performance-based, participatory methodology to distribute funds to states that perform better.
According to the minister, groundwater levels have already improved in 83 of the designated blocks. A multi-tiered monitoring system is used by ABY, which includes regular audits by the Controller General of Accounts, state-level steering committees led by chief secretaries, third-party verification, and public data access through the Atal Jal Portal.
JJM, launched in August 2019 in partnership with states, aims to provide potable water to every rural household through functional tap connections. Both JJM and ABY are supported by strict oversight mechanisms, regular reviews, and on-ground inspections to ensure transparency, effective fund utilisation, and long-term sustainability of India’s water resources.
Also Read: Lok Sabha passes revised Income Tax Bill without debate
Follow us
