NEW DELHI: Seven States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh qualified for performance incentive grantfor 2020-21 under Jal Jeevan Mission(JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
For performance incentive grant, the criteria include physical and financial progress under JJM, functionality of piped water supply schemes and capacity to utilize the fund. Today, India’s Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat approved Rs. 465 Crore as performance incentive to these States.
Despite CoVid-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns and disruption,speedy implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission on the ground has set an example and during the financial year, more than 3.16 Crore rural households have been provided tap water connection. Presently, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa and Telangana States have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ States/ UT and every household in 55 districts and 85 thousand villages of the country, have tap water supply.
Since announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on 15th August, 2019, so far, four Crore households have been provided with tap water connections, thus increasing the tap water supply from 3.23 Crore (17%) to more than 7.20 Crore (37.6%) rural households in the country. This is the ‘speed and scale’ of the works being undertaken for making provision of clean drinking water to every rural household in rural areas.
Gujarat is among the best performing States which is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure tap water supply to every home. Gujarat has started decentralised, demand-driven community managed water supply programme way back in 2002 and has become model. Gujarat, which was known for water supply through road tankers and even trains, has made water scarcity is thing of past. After experiencing water scarcity in last decade, with launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, Himachal Pradesh Government has gone for intensive village-wise planning and implementation to ensure assured tap water supply to rural homes.
North Eastern States, despite hilly terrain and forested areas, have implemented JJM with speed and scale. It is for the first time that 5 NE States have qualified for performance incentive grant. The focus of the Ministry of Jal Shakti in improving the water supply by implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission has borne fruits. Union Minister Shekhawat had a number of review meetings as well as visits to NE States to expedite the implementation. The National Jal Jeevan Mission as a part of the Ministry of Jal Shakti sent a number of multi-disciplinary team of experts to help these states to plan better and implement with speed and on scale. Under JJM, these NE States have become among best States/ UTs in terms of performance.
The provision of performance incentive fund under Jal Jeevan Mission has generated a healthy competition among States/ UTs, which will help in speedy implementation and assured water supply under this life-changing mission.The mission aims to provide household tap water connection to every rural home by 2024 to improve the quality of life and enhance ‘ease of living’ of people of the country,
Under the mission, focus has shifted to assured supply of potable water to every home rather than mere infrastructure creation. Massive training and skilling programme are being taken up to build the capacity of public health engineers and local community to ensure regular water supply to every rural home. The mission envisages that Public Health Engineering Department and Gram Panchayats/ Village Water & Sanitation committee to play the role of a public utility.
In financial Year 2020-21, Rs.11,000 Crore was allocated for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and granthave been provided to States/ UTs based on the output in terms of functional household tap connections given and the utilization of available Central grant and matching State share.