PrintFriendly
Since the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission in August, 2019, in just about 25 months, over 5 Crore families have been provided with tap water connection in their homes. Despite Covid-19 pandemic, its subsequent lockdowns and challenges, States/ UTs worked relentlessly to ensure assured tap water supply to rural homes. Assured tap water supply in homes relieves people, especially women and young girls, from fetching water, carrying heavy loads at a distance, etc. thus, reducing their age-old drudgery. The newfound time is being used for income generation activities, learning new skills, supporting children’s education, etc.
Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 15th August, 2019 to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every home by 2024. In 2019, out of about 18.93 Crore households in rural areas, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had tap water connections. Thus, 15.70 Crore households are to be provided with tap water by 2024. In addition, functionality of all existing water supply systems and tap connections is also to be ensured. The programme directly benefits more than 19 Crore rural families, bridging rural – urban divide and improving public health. As on date, about 8.26 Crore (43%) rural households have tap water supply in their homes.
PM Shri Narendra Modi launched the Jal Jeevan Mission app on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The app is expected to boost awareness and increase transparency and accountability of the government’s water and sanitation schemes. “This (Jal Jeevan Mission) is a village-driven, women-driven movement. Its main base is a mass movement and public participation,” Shri Modi said. “It has been my constant effort that this thinking of gram swaraj (village republic) should move forward towards accomplishment.”
Shri Modi said from India’s Independence in 1947 to 2019, only 30 million households had access to tap water but since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, 5 crore households have been connected with water connections.
The Prime Minister said, “Today, water is reaching every household in about 1.25 lakh villages in about 80 districts of the country. In the aspirational districts, the number of tap connections have increased from 31 lakh to 1.16 crore.”