In news : Recently, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti approves 465 crore as Performance Incentive fund for 7 States under Jal Jeevan Mission
Which states have qualified for the grants?
Seven States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh qualified for a performance incentive grant for 2020-21 under Jal Jeevan Mission(JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to provide assured tap water supply to every rural home by 2024.
Criteria
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
Performance of the states in implementation of JJM
- 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
- 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
- Under JJM, these NE States have become among best States/ UTs in terms of performance.
Current status of tap water connections
- Since the 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.
- 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.
Significance
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
Jal Jeevan 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
- The Jal Jeevan Mission will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication as a key component of the mission.
- JJM(urban) under Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation
- JJM(rural) under Ministry of Jal Shakti
- Under the mission, focus has shifted to assured supply of potable water to every home rather than mere infrastructure creation.
- The mission envisages the Public Health Engineering Department and Gram Panchayats/ Village Water & Sanitation committee to play the role of a public utility.
