With a focus to expedite the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Odisha, the Governmentof India has released Rs 830.85 Crore to Odisha, today.

Odisha plans to become ‘HarGhar Jal’ Statein 2024. Out of 85.67 lakh rural households in the State, 35.37 lakh (41.28%) households have tap water supply in their homes. Water supply work is in full swing to make provision of tap water supply in villages. Provision has been made for ensuring 100% tap water connectivity to all rural households.

Union Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has accorded top priority to make provision of tap water connection in every rural household across the country under Jal Jeevan Mission.There is a massive increase in budgetary allocation to Rs. 3,323.42 Crore in 2021-22, from Rs. 812.15 Crore in the preceding year for Odisha.

Jal Jeevan Mission is implemented in a decentralized manner following the ‘bottom-up’ approach, wherein the local village community plays a key role starting from planning to implementation and from management to operation & maintenance. For this, the State undertakes community activities like engaging with the community and strengthening the PaniSamitis. As on date,Odisha has constituted 3,695 Village Water & Sanitation Committee. So far, 2,345 Village Action Plans have been developed. The programme encourages participation by women as they are the primary water managers in any household. Six Implementing Support Agencies (ISAs) have been engaged in the State to create awareness about the mission, sensitize the village community on the importance of safe water and engage with them apart from extending support to Panchayati Raj institutions for implementation of the programme.In Odisha, 17,756 women have been trained to conduct water quality testing using Field Test Kits.

Efforts are made to ensure tap water availability for drinking, cooking mid-day meal, handwashing and usage in toilets in all schools and anganwadicentres. As on date 36,372 schools (67%) and 29,097 (54%) AWCs in Odisha have been provided with tap water supply.

With focus on public health, potability of tap water supplied is given top priority, for which more than 2,000 water quality testing laboratories in the country have been opened forpublic so that people can get their water samples tested whenever they so desire at a nominal cost. Odisha has 77 water testing laboratories.

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. Despite challenges faced due to COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, over 5.51 Crore (28.67%) households have been provided with tap water supply since the launch of the mission. Presently, 8.74 Crore (45.51%) rural households receive potable water through taps.

Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Puducherry and Haryana have become ‘HarGhar Jal’ State/ UT i.e. 100% rural households have tap water supply in their homes. Following the principle of Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SabkaSaath, SabkaVikas, SabkaVishwas, SabkaPrayas’, the motto of the mission is that ‘no one is left out’ and every rural household is provided with tap water connection. At present, every household in 84 Districts and more than 1.30 lakh villages are receiving tap water supply.

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