Guwahati, June 19 (NKTV): The Central Government has allocated Rs. 5,601.16 Crore grant to Assam under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which was Rs. 1,608.51 Crore in 2020-21. National Jal Jeevan Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti has also released Rs. 700 Crores to the State as first tranche. Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat while approving this four-fold increase in allocation has assured full assistance to the State for making provision of tap water supply in every rural home by 2024.
At the start of the Mission in 2019, out of a total of 19.20 Crore rural households in the country, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had tap water supply. During the last 22 months, despite Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission, has been implemented with speed and 4.32 Crore households have been provided with piped connections. With the increase in coverage by 22%, presently 7.56 Crore (39.38%) rural households across the country have tap water supply. Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100% household connection in rural areas and has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Following the principle of Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, the motto of the Mission is that ‘no one is left out’ and every household in a village should be provided with tap water connection. At present, in 62 districts and more than 93 thousand villages, every household has tap water supply.
Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has assured the Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of speedy pace of implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam. The State has already approved schemes for 41.9 lakh tap water connections and work orders for about 17.85 lakh tap water connections have been issued in 2021-22. The Chief Minister has further assured that he will be closely monitoring the progress of the work to ensure tap water supply in rural households.