Namaskar, Chief Minister of Goa Shri Pramod Sawant ji, Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat ji, other Ministers of the Government of Goa, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Today is a very important and holy day. Shri Krishna Janmashtami is being celebrated across the country. Many congratulations to all the countrymen and the devotees of Lord Shri Krishna spread all over the world. Jai Shri Krishna!

This event is being held in Goa. But today I want to share three big achievements of the country with all the citizens. And I want to say this for the entire country. When my countrymen learn about these achievements of India, I am sure they will be very proud, especially our mothers and sisters. Today we have crossed three important milestones related to the huge goals that India is working on in the ‘Amrit Kaal’. The first milestone is that today 10 crore rural households of the country have been connected with piped clean water facility. This is a huge success of the government's campaign to supply water to the households. This is also a great example of ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone's effort). I congratulate every countryman and especially mothers and sisters for this achievement.

Friends,

The country and especially Goa has achieved a milestone today. Today Goa has become the first Har Ghar Jal certified state in the country where every household is connected to piped water. Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu have also become Har Ghar Jal certified Union Territories. In the last few years, Goa has been playing a leading role in every major mission of the country. I convey my best wishes to the people of Goa, Pramod ji and his team, the Government of Goa and the local self-government institutions in this regard. The way you have taken forward the Har Ghar Jal Mission, it is going to inspire the whole country. I am happy that many more states are going to be added to this list in the coming months.      

Friends,

The third achievement of the country is related to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. A few years ago, the country was declared open defecation free with the efforts of all the countrymen. After this we had resolved to make villages ODF plus. That is, facilities such as community toilets, plastic waste management, gray water management, GobarDhan projects, will be developed. The country has also achieved important milestones in this regard. Now more than one lakh villages of different states of the country have become ODF plus. Many congratulations to all the states and villages for crossing these three important milestones.

Friends,

Today, major organizations of the world are saying that one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century will be water security. Lack of water can also become a big obstacle in the fulfillment of the resolve of a developed India. Common human beings, poor, middle class, farmers and industries, everyone suffers without water. To deal with this big challenge, there is a need to work round the clock with a sense of service and duty. Our government has been engaged in completing the works of water security with this spirit for the last eight years. It is true that one does not have to work hard to form a government, but to build a country one has to work hard. And it happens with everyone's effort. We all have chosen the path of developing the country, and therefore, we are constantly solving the present and future challenges of the country. Those who do not care about the country, it does not matter whether the present or future of the country is ruined. Such people can definitely make tall promises for water, but can never work with a grand vision for water.

Friends,

During the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, water security has been given special emphasis in the last eight years so that it does not become a challenge to India's progress. Be it Catch the Rain, Atal Bhujal Yojana, construction of 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district of the country, interlinking of rivers, or Jal Jeevan Mission, the goal of all these schemes is ensuring water security for the people of the country. A few days ago, news came out that now the number of Ramsar sites i.e. wetlands in India has also increased to 75. Out of these, 50 sites have been added in the last eight years only. That is, India is making all-round efforts for water security and it is getting results in every direction.

Friends,

The same commitment towards water and environment is also reflected in the milestone of the Jal Jeevan Mission under which 10 crore people have been provided with piped water. There couldn't have been a better start than this for ‘Amrit Kaal’. Within just three years, seven crore rural households have been connected with piped water facilities under the Jal Jeevan Mission. This is no ordinary achievement. Only three crore rural households in the country had access to piped water in the last seven decades of independence. There were about 16 crore rural households in the country, who had to depend on outside sources for water. We could not leave such a large population of the villages struggling for this basic need. That's why I had announced three years ago from the Red Fort that every house would be provided with piped water. After the formation of the new government, we made Jal Shakti, a separate ministry. About 3.60 lakh crore rupees are being spent on this campaign. Despite the problems caused by the biggest pandemic in 100 years, the pace of this campaign did not slow down. The result of this continuous effort is that the country has done more than double the work in the last three years compared to seven decades. This is an example of the same people-centric development, which I mentioned this time from the Red Fort. When water reaches every house, our sisters and future generations benefit the most and our fight against malnutrition gets stronger. Our mothers and sisters suffer the most due to every water related problem, and therefore, our sisters and daughters are also at the center of this mission. The time of sisters is now being saved in the houses where pure drinking water has reached. The diseases caused by contaminated water to the children of the families have also reduced.

Friends,

Jal Jeevan Mission is also a good example of true democracy, the Gram Swaraj, dreamed by revered Bapu. I remember mothers and sisters in Kutch district were entrusted with the responsibility of water development works when I was in Gujarat. This experiment was so successful that it also got the award at the international level. Today the same experiment is also an important inspiration of Jal Jeevan Mission. Jal Jeevan Mission is not just a government scheme, but it is a scheme run by the community for the community.

Friends,

The reason for the success of Jal Jeevan Mission is its four strong pillars. First - People's Participation; Second - Partnership i.e., partnership of every stakeholder; Third - Political Will; and Fourth- Optimum Utilization of Resources.

Brothers and sisters,

The way Panchayats, Gram Sabhas, local people of the villages have been included in the Jal Jeevan Mission and entrusted with many responsibilities, it is unprecedented in itself. The cooperation of the people of the villages is sought while supplying piped water to every house. Villagers themselves are preparing Village Action Plans for water security in their villages. The price of water is also being decided by the people of the villages. The people of the villages are also involved in the testing of water. More than 10 lakh women have been trained for this. At least 50 percent women have been included in the water committees. Priority is being given to the tribal areas where work should be done rapidly. The second pillar of the Jal Jeevan Mission is partnership. Everybody, be it state governments, panchayats, voluntary organizations, educational institutions, various departments and ministries of the government, are all working together. It is getting huge benefits at the grassroots level.

Friends,

Political will is the third main pillar of the success of the Jal Jeevan Mission. What could be achieved in the last seven 70 years, we have to complete many times more than that in less than seven years. It is a difficult goal, but there is no such goal which the people of India cannot achieve once they are determined. The Central Government, State Governments and Panchayats are engaged in completing this campaign expeditiously. Jal Jeevan Mission is laying equal emphasis on the Optimum Utilization of Resources. Help is also being sought from schemes like MNREGA, which give impetus to the Jal Jeevan Mission. The work being done under this mission is also creating new employment opportunities in the villages on a large scale. One benefit of this mission will also be that when every house will get piped water, there will be saturation and the scope of favoritism and discrimination will also end.

Friends,

During this campaign, new sources of water, tanks, water treatment plants and pump houses are also being geo-tagged. The use of modern technology i.e. Internet of things solutions, has also started for monitoring the water supply and quality. That is, the power of manpower, women power and technology together are empowering the Jal Jeevan Mission. I have full faith that the way the whole country is working hard we will definitely achieve the goal of water for every household.

Once again, I congratulate Goa, the Government of Goa and the citizens of Goa for this great success. I also assure the countrymen that the dream from the Red Fort three years ago is being realized with the help of all the institutions starting from Gram Panchayats. I once again wish a very happy Krishna Janmashtami and end my speech. Thanks a lot.

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VJ/VK/AK