To translate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of providing clean tap water to every household and free women and girls from drudgery of fetching water from a distance, National Jal Jeevan Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti has released Rs. 2,400 Crore grant–in–aid to Uttar Pradesh against the allocation of Rs. 10,870 Crore for the financial year 2021-22. In 2019-20, Central Government had allocated Rs. 1,206 Crore to Uttar Pradesh for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission, which was increased to Rs. 2,571 Crore in 2020-21. Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Shri 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.

In Uttar Pradesh, there are 2.63 Crore rural households in over 97 thousand villages, out of which now 32 lakh (12.16%) households have tap water supply in their homes. During the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, only 5.16 lakh (2%) households had tap water supply. In the last 23 months, despite disruptions faced during Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the State has provided tap water connection to 26.86 lakh (10.2%) households. The State aims to make 5 districts ‘Har Ghar Jal’ in the current financial year. Above 3,600 villages of Uttar Pradesh have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ so far i.e. every family has started getting tap water supply in these villages. This increased Central allocation will help the State in speedy provision of tap water supply to remaining 2.31 Crore rural household in Uttar Pradesh.

Union Minister, Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has been regularly reviewing the progress of implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh. He is not only reviewing the progress, but also visiting the State to see the progress of works. In his recent meeting with the Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh held on 3^rd July, 2021, he has assured full assistance to the State to make provision of tap water supply to every rural home under Jal Jeevan Mission. During the meeting, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh also assured that Uttar Pradesh government would ensure tap water connection to every rural home by 2024 as envisioned by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. To accelerate the pace of JJM implementation, National Jal Jeevan Mission has urged the State to take necessary measure to provide tap water supply to 78 lakh rural households in UP this year. It is also suggested to start water supply works in more than 60 thousand villages by December, 2021.

With this year’s Central allocation of Rs. 10,870 Crore and with an opening balance of Rs. 466 Crore available with the State Government, State’s matching share of 2021-22 and shortfall of Rs. 1,263 Crore in 2019-20 & 2020-21, the total assured fund available for the implementation of JJM in Uttar Pradesh is more than Rs. 23,500 Crore. Thus, Government of India is ensuring that there is no paucity of funds for implementation of this transformational mission in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Further, Rs. 4,324 Crore have been allocated to Uttar Pradesh as 15^th FC tied grant for water & sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/ PRIs in 2021-22. There is an assured funding of Rs. 22,808 Crore tied grant for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26. This huge investment in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh will accelerate economic activities and also boost rural economy. It will create income generating opportunities in villages. 

The implementation of the mission to raise demand for masons, electricians, plumbers, motor mechanics, pump operators, etc. in large numbers for creation as well as management, operation and maintenance of water supply schemes to ensure potable water supply on regular and long-term basis. Further, there will be demand for various kinds of materials like cement, bricks, pipes, valves, water/ energy efficient pumps, faucets, etc. thereby increasing demand for locally available workers as well as domestic manufacturing industries, which in turn will help in realizing the goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

Hon’ble Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of piped water supply schemes for the rural areas of 7 districts viz. Jhansi, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot in Bundelkhand region in February, 2019; and in November, 2020, for rural drinking water supply projects for Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Vindhyachal region. These are water-stressed areas. On completion, these projects will benefit about 18.88 lakh households in 6,742 villages of the region. In the meeting held last month with Chief Minister of the State, Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has urged the State to accelerate the implementation of these projects in Bundelkhand and Vindhyachal for early completion.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, water quality-affected habitations, Aspirational & JE/ AES affected districts, SC/ ST majority villages, SAGY villages in the State are given priority. Working in line with ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’, Jal Jeevan Mission aims at universal access to potable tap water supply to the most vulnerable and marginalized people. Therefore, the State has been advised to ensure all households in 8 Aspirational and 20 JE/ AES affected districts are provided with tap water supply by the end of 2022.

To ensure safe drinking water for children in schools, anganwadi centres and ashramshalas, a campaign was launched on 2^nd October, 2020. So far, the State has provided tap water supply to 1,01,711 (82%) rural schools and 1,04,453 (60%) anganwadi centres. The State has been asked to ensure safe tap water supply in all schools and anganwadi centres by 2^nd October, 2021.

Jal Jeevan Mission is a decentralized, demand-driven and community managed programme, which follows a ‘bottom up’ approach where the local village community plays a key role from the planning, implementation to operation and maintenance of in-village water supply infrastructure. Addressing the people in Bundelkhand on 29^th February, 2020, the Prime Minister had said “Jal Jeevan Mission is a program, which the people have to manage. People of the village have to join hands do it together. The Government will provide the fund. But, where to lay the pipes, where the water will be collected, how it will be operated and maintained, this all will be decided by the people of the village. The role of our sisters is very big in this programme.” Following this principle, local community prepares the 5-year Village Action Plan with the technical support from the public health engineers. The plan is presented before the Gram Sabha for approval.

For community mobilization, support activities like strengthening and empowering VWSCs/ Pani Samitis, finalization of 5–years Village Action Plans (VAPs) co-terminus with 15^th Finance Commission period, engaging voluntary organizations as Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs) for community mobilization, training of local community, IEC activities, etc. are critical and absolutely necessary. So far, in more than 3 thousand villages, 10-15 members Pani Samitis have been constituted in Uttar Pradesh and 165 NGOs/ voluntary organizations have been engaged as Implementing Support Agencies to provide handholding support to the local village community, who are the custodian of the water supply infrastructure created in the villages. 

To take forward the mission’s motto of ‘Building partnership, changing lives’, various reputed organizations have started working with the local community in the State to ensure drinking water security on long-term basis. UN agency like UNOPS has already mobilized resources on ground and actively working in about 140 villages of Bundelkhand, Vindhyachal, Prayagraj and Kaushambi. Aga Khan foundation is working in 40 villages of Lucknow and Sitapur. Similarly, Tata Trust is mobilizing its resources in 200 villages of 3 districts of Balarampur, Bahraich and Shrabasti. With this type of participation, Jal Jeevan Mission is becoming a ‘Jan Andolan’.

Water quality monitoring & surveillance activities are given top priority by imparting training to 5 women in each village, for regular and independent testing of drinking water sources and delivery points using Field Test Kits (FTKs). Water testing laboratories are upgraded and open for general public so that people can test their water samples at nominal rate. State plans 75 district level labs to be NABL accredited this year.

With focus on ‘service delivery’, 10 villages in Baghpat district are being taken for ‘online measurement & monitoring system’ as part of Grand Technology Challenge being run by Jal Jeevan Mission in partnership with MeiTY, GoI and State Government. The ‘online system’ will generate alerts whenever water supply in village is disrupted so that timely corrective action can be taken.

 On 15 August, 2019, at the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, out of 18.93 Crore rural households in country, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had tap water connections. Since then, 4.66 Crore tap water connections have been provided in last 23 months. As a result, today, about 7.90 Crore (41.3%) households have tap water supply. Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Puducherry have achieved 100% household tap water connections in rural areas and have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Since the motto of the Mission is ‘no one is left out’ and every household in a village should be provided with tap water connection, every household in 78 districts and more than 1.06 lakh villages have started getting tap water supply in their homes.

                                                                       

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AS

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