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India 29-Mar, 2023

Rs 55,000 crore allocated to Jal Jeevan Mission in 2022-23: Uttar Pradesh among poorest performing states despite receiving Rs 9,497 crore, highest among states

By: Yash Gupte

Rs 55,000 crore allocated to Jal Jeevan Mission in 2022-23: Uttar Pradesh among poorest performing states despite receiving Rs 9,497 crore, highest among states

Before 2019, out of total 18.93 crore rural households, only 3.23 crore (17 percent) households had access to tap water connection. Image Source: IANS

In spite of drawing the highest funds under the scheme, Uttar Pradesh remains one of the poorest performing states with only 35.37 percent of the rural households having tap water connections.

The Jal Jeevan Mission 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.

To enable every rural household to have provision of tap water supply by 2024, Government of India in partnership with States is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, since August 2019. So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on March 29, 2023, additional 8.35 Crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections in last three and half years under JJM. Thus, as on March 29, 2023, out of 19.43 Crore rural households in the country, around 11.59 Crore (59.68 percent) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. The information about the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission was provided to the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Pralhad Singh Patel.

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 March 29, 2023, there are 2,078 active laboratories for testing the quality of water. Till date around 58,91,884 samples have been tested in these laboratories. Out of the total tested samples, 6,65,261 were found contaminated. Around 20,97,390 women have been trained for testing water samples using the Field Testing Kits (FTK). About 4,62,899 villages have tested water samples using FTKs. Kerala reported the maximum number of contaminated water samples at 2,56,617.

Source: Ministry of JalShakti

According to the latest figures released by the ministry, 124 districts, 1,327 blocks, 74,434 Gram Panchayat and 1,55,236 villages have been provided with drinking water through taps. Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Puducherry and Haryana have already achieved 100 percent household connections. Also, Punjab has been added to the list of states with 100 percent tap water connections. Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have coverage of more than 95 percent and are progressing fast towards attaining the status. The northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim have a coverage of more than 75 percent.

However, in nine states, less than 50 percent households have tap water supply. West Bengal has the lowest coverage at 31.85 percent, followed by Jharkhand at 33.13 percent, Uttar Pradesh 35.37 percent, Rajasthan at 35.64 percent, and Chhattisgarh at 41.60 percent. In 117 aspirational districts (home to some of the poorest Indians), 1,22,33,458 (36.18 percent) households have been provided with tap water connections. Schools in 12 states and UTs have 100 percent tap water connection while schools in 10 states and UTs have over 75 percent tap water connection. There has been a marginal increase in the tap water connections in the states of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh as compared to last month.

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 under utilisation 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 under utilisation 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 35.37 percent of the rural households having tap water connections. It’s a sobering thought that only 59 percent of Indians in rural areas have access to piped drinking water. For millions, safe water can turn problems into potential – unlocking education, economic opportunity and improved health. But with the launch of JJM, it seems that the majority of rural households in India would have tap water connections soon.

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