Despite COVID-19 and lockdown disruptions, the Jal Jeevan Mission has provided tap water supply to more than 5.77 crore rural households to translate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing clean tap water to every home by 2024.

As a result, today 9 crore rural households in the country are enjoying the benefits of clean tap water supply, the Jal Shakti Ministry said today.

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At the time of the announcement of the mission on 15 August 2019, out of 19.27 crore households only 3.23 crore (17%) had tap water connections.

Following the principle of the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’, in this short period, 98 districts, 1,129 blocks, 66,067 Gram Panchayats and 1,36,135 villages have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’.

In Goa, Haryana, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, every rural household has tap water supply. Many more states like Punjab (99%), Himachal Pradesh (92.4%), Gujarat (92%) and Bihar (90%) are on the verge of becoming ‘Har Ghar Jal’ in 2022.

To achieve the mammoth task of providing tap water supply to every rural household in a span of five years, Rs 3.60 lakh crore has been allocated. Rs. 60,000 crore has been allocated to ‘Har Ghar Jal’ in the Union Budget 2022-23 to provide tap water to 3.8 crore households.

In addition to above, in 2021-22, Rs 26,940 crore has been allocated to states as the 15th Finance Commission tied grants for water and sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/ PRIs. There is an assured funding of Rs 1,42,084 crore for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26. This huge investment in rural areas across the country is accelerating economic activities and boosting the rural economy, as well as creating employment opportunities in villages.

In a paradigm shift from earlier water supply programmes, the Jal Jeevan Mission focuses on water service delivery and not just building water supply infrastructure. The motto of the Jal Jeevan Mission is ‘no one is left out’, thus ensuring every household irrespective of its socio-economic status, gets tap water supply. The Jal Jeevan Mission strives for the freedom of mothers and sisters from centuries-old drudgery of fetching water for the household, and improving their health, education and socio- economic condition. The mission is bringing ‘ease of living’ and adding pride and dignity to rural families.