Jal Jeevan Mission

Posted 24 Mar 2025

Updated 27 Mar 2025

4 min read

Why in the News?

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was extended till 2028 with an enhanced outlay during the Union Budget 2025.

Launched in 2019 by restructuring and subsuming National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).
- At inception, it aimed at providing additional ~16 crore rural households with tap water by 2024.
Aim: 'Har Ghar Jal (HGJ)' i.e. to provide-
- Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household
- ensuring adequate quantity (minimum service level of 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd)) of prescribed quality (as per Bureau of Indian Standards)
- on regular and long-term basis
- at affordable charges.

Nodal Ministry: Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Funding pattern: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (Centre and State)
- 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States.
- 100% for UTs.
- 50:50 for rest of the States.
Key Features of the scheme:
- Shift of focus for water supply: From 'habitations to households'.
- Decentralized, demand-driven, community-managed water supply programme.
  - Gram Panchayat or its sub-committee comprising of user groups plays the role of a 'public utility'.
  - At least 5 persons in every village, preferably women, are trained on using Field Test Kits (FTKs) for testing of water quality at village level.
- Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS): Launched in 2022 to assess districts and States/UTs on their performance in achieving the objectives of the JJM.
- Central role of women and weaker sections: Minimum 50% members of Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Pani Samitis are to be women and proportionate representation of weaker sections of society.
- Technological interventions: JJM–IMIS, real-time Dashboard, geo-tagging of assets, sensor-based IoT solutions for water supply measurement, JJM - Water Quality Management Information System (JJM - WQMIS) etc.
- Awareness generation and involvement of stakeholders: Janandolan for water, and encouraging contribution in cash, kind and/or labour and voluntary labour (shramdaan).

11 States/UTs have provided tap water connection to all rural households (100%).
- HGJ Reported States/ UTs (confirmed by State/UT Water Supply Department): Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana.
- HGJ Certified States/ UTs (Resolution passed by Gram
- Sabha ascertaining claims of Water Supply Department): Goa, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, A &N Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu
Addition of 75.89% connections since the launch of the mission.
- Households with tap water connections increased from 3.23 crore (17%) of rural households in 2019 to 15.44 crore (79.74%) in February 2025.
9,32,440 schools and 9,69,585 Anganwadi centres have tap water supply.

Under-utilization of Funds: Only 30.72% of the funds allocated for the current FY 2024-25 have been utilized.
Slow rate of saturation in achieving HGJ Status: Only 11 States/UTs have achieved HGJ status due to issues like-
- Long gestation period of Multi Village Schemes.
- Lack of dependable groundwater sources in drought-prone & desert areas, geogenic contamination.
- Terrain challenges in hilly & forested areas.
- Lack of financial and technical capabilities in the States.
- Delay in clearances from nodal agencies, etc.
Lack of a comprehensive operation and maintenance (O&M) Policy: The responsibility for O&M policies is shifted to the states; only 12 State/UTs have notified O&M Policies for sustainability of rural water infrastructure.
- Issues faced by States include lack of institutional and technical capacity, financial constraints and coordination challenges.
Insufficient Water Quality Testing Laboratories (WQTL): Presently, only 2160 WQTLs present for ~5.86 lakh villages.
- Further not all labs have accreditation by NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories).
Low focus on water sustainability: Presently, major sources for water under JJM are 52% Ground water and 48% Surface water.

Expediting the utilization of funds for implementation of JJM in a time-bound manner with centre-state coordination.
Provide pro-active assistance to under-performing States.
Involvelocal elected representatives in the Apex Committee of the State Water and Sanitation Mission.
Provide assistance to States/UTs in notifying their O&M policy at the earliest.
Increase number of WQTLs in rural areas and prepare time-bound Plan for NABL accreditation of existing labs.
- Further, 2% allocation to States/UTs can be made mandatory for Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance (WQM&S) by revising operational guidelines of JJM.
Formulate schemes/strategy for Water conservation in rural areas.
- E.g. revival and rejuvenation of traditional water bodies, desilting, rainwater harvesting and educating masses.