Featured Image Credits: Indian Express
The Centre on Tuesday (10 March) said that about 3.77 crore rural households now have access to tapped water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
The JJM will directly bring benefits to more than 19 crore rural families, improving public health. This is a significant achievement in improving public health after the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
In a statement, the Ministry said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the drinking water supply work continued to provide nearly one lakh connections every day.
The promise of providing tap water connection in every rural household by 2024 was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 August 2019, from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
“At the time when the mission was announced, out of 18.93 crore rural households, only 3.23 crore (17 per cent) had tap water connections. About 15.70 crore households were to be provided with tap water by 2024,” the statement said.
“Despite pandemic and lockdown, the drinking water supply work continued. The lockdown-1 was utilized for planning activities. Further, water supply was deemed one of the essential items and the work continued following due precautions. There were almost over lakh connections being provided every day,” the ministry stated.
The ministry pointed out that every family living in 52 districts, 670 blocks, 42,100 Panchayats and 81,123 villages are getting assured tap water supply in their homes.
“Goa has become the first state in the country to provide 100 per cent tap water connections followed by Telangana. Different states are competing with each other and focusing on the target to ensure that every household in the country gets safe drinking water,” the statement added.
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