After Electricity And Housing, Modi Government Plans Universal Rural Piped Water Supply Under Rs 3.5 Lakh Crore Scheme

Giving a major push to the government’s ‘Har Ghar Jal’ objective, Prime Minister (PM) Modi announced the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission with an outlay of Rs 3.5 lakh crore, Times of India has reported.

The mission aims to provide all rural households with piped water supply within the next five years by 2024. The mission will be spearheaded by the newly constituted Jal Shakti Mantralaya.

Being implemented by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the mission will focus on integrated demand and supply side management of water at the local level, including creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse in agriculture.

It will also aim at convergence with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across the country.

The mission assumes importance as a NITI Aayog report had predicted huge upcoming water crisis in India. The Aayog had said that 600 million Indians already face “high to extreme water stress" and that the crisis may cost as much as 6 per cent loss in gross domestic product by 2050.