Bhopal: In a boost to the marquee Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Madhya Pradesh plans to provide tap water connections to all rural households by 2021-24. This comes in the backdrop of India’s 38% rural population being covered under the JJM, with 21.4% of rural households being provided with tap water connection since the scheme’s launch in 2019. The scheme aims to ensure assured tap water supply or ‘Har Ghar Jal’ to all rural households by 2024.
Four crore households have been provided with tap water connections since the scheme’s announcement in August 2019. “Now, in the times of the Corona pandemic, it has become very important to deal with the issue of water scarcity, contamination as well as provision of water in rural homes. Clean water will promote better hygiene and a functional tap in household premises will ensure physical distancing by avoiding crowding at public stand posts,” the ministry of Jal Shakti said in a statement on Monday.
Madhya Pradesh is likely to get about ₹3,000 Crore Central fund in 2021-22.” The issue of water supply got prominence in the union budget presented in February, wherein an outlay of Rs2.87 trillion was announced for the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission Urban. The aim is to supply water to 4,378 urban local bodies with 2.68 crore tap connections. “Madhya Pradesh has 1.23 crore rural households, out of which 37.69 lakh (31%) have tap water supply in their homes.
In July 2019, the government had formed a new ministry, Jal Sakti, to address all water issues in the country. The Jal Shakti ministry was formed by integrating it with other existing ministries, such as water resources and the ministry of drinking water and sanitation. The larger aim is to work with state governments to ensure ‘Har Ghar Jal’ to all rural households by 2024.