More than 70% rural households in India are now equipped with tap water connections under JJM

By: Team India Tracker

Though the Jal Jeevan Mission may not be able to achieve its target of providing tap water connections to all the rural households by the year 2024 but looking at the numbers it can be noted that significant progress has been done under the scheme

PM Modi’s flagship mission- Jal Jeevan Mission has crossed a new milestone as more than 70 percent rural households are now equipped with tap water connections. As of November 25, 2023, around 13,64,97,020 rural households have been provided with tap water connections.

Though the Jal Jeevan Mission may not be able to achieve its target of providing tap water connections to all the rural households by the year 2024 but looking at the numbers it can be noted that significant progress has been done under the scheme. As on August 15, 2019, out of the total 19,23,87,377 rural households, only 3,23,62,838 houses (16.82 percent) were equipped with tap water connections.

Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission is one of the major flagship programs of the Modi government. It aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. The programme also aims to implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting. Before 2019, out of total 18.93 crore rural households, only 3.23 crore (17 percent) households had access to tap water connection. The remaining 15.70 crore families were dependent on river, well, pond, stand post and spring for their daily water needs. By the end of FY20, only 21.3 percent of rural households had access to a water pipeline. During the next financial year, it increased to 37.99 percent.

Under the JJM, the states and UTs have been advised to undertake testing of water quality on a periodic basis i.e. once in year for chemical and physical parameters, and twice in a year for bacteriological parameters and take remedial action wherever necessary, to ensure that the water supplied to households is of prescribed quality. As of November 25, 2023, there are 2,111 active laboratories for testing the quality of water. Till date around 77,41,183 samples have been tested in these laboratories. Out of the total tested samples, 4,43,090 were found contaminated. Around 23,28,626 women have been trained for testing water samples using the Field Testing Kits (FTK). About 3,47,229 villages have tested water samples using FTKs. Kerala reported the maximum number of contaminated water samples at 1,98,849.

According to the latest figures released by the ministry, 153 districts, 1,556 blocks, 94,866 Gram Panchayat and 1,97,679 villages have been provided with drinking water through taps. Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Pondicherry and Haryana have already achieved 100 percent household connections. Also, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have been added to the list of states with 100 percent tap water connections. In Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar, more than 90 percent rural households are now equipped with tap water connections

Progress under Jal Jeevan Mission

Source: Ministry of Jal Shakti

West Bengal has the lowest coverage at 39.59 percent, followed by Rajasthan at 44.88 percent and Jharkhand (45.80 percent). Schools in 16 states and UTs have 98-100 percent tap water connections.

Source: Outlay on Major Schemes, Union Budget Documents 2023-24

At the same time, the allocation towards this project has increased over the years. While Rs 10,998 crore was allocated in 2020-21, it rose to Rs 45,011 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 60,000 crore in 2022-23 and it further increased to Rs 70,000 crore in 2023-24.

Source: Ministry of Jal Shakti

The Jal Jeevan Mission has come a long way from receiving Rs 10,000.66 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 55,000 crore in 2022-23. The biggest jump in allocation of funds for the scheme by the central government was witnessed in the year 2021-22 as the allocation went up from Rs 11,000 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 45,011 in 2021-22. The data shows that there has been under utilisation of funds by the states for the successful implementation of the scheme. For example, in the financial year 2021-22, Rs 45,011 crore were allocated by the central government for the Jal Jeevan Mission but of these total funds, only Rs 40,009.77 crore were drawn by different states across the country. But the more surprising part here is that out of the withdrawn funds worth Rs 40,009.77 crore only Rs 25,524.36 crore were utilised by the states.

This clearly points out that there is an underutilisation of funds by the states and this is one of the reasons that most of the states are far from attaining the status of ‘Har Ghar Jal.’ If the underutilisation of funds continue, then it is difficult for the central government to achieve its target of providing tap water connections to all the rural households by 2024. The central government and state governments must work together and overcome bureaucratic difficulties and other issues and ensure successful implementation of the scheme, thus keeping up the spirit of cooperative federalism.

In the year 2022-23, the highest funds allocated by the central government have been drawn by Uttar Pradesh. The state has drawn Rs 9,497 crore out of the total Rs 55,000 crore. But in spite of drawing the highest funds under the scheme, Uttar Pradesh remains one of the poorest performing states with only 59.97 percent of the rural households having tap water connections. Data shows that the Jal Jeevan Mission has come a long way from just 16.83 percent rural households having tap water connections in 2019 to 70.95 percent rural households equipped with tap water connections in 2023.