According to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, more than 1.53 lakh villages in India have reported having "Har Ghar Jal," which means that every home has access to safe drinking water from a tap
According to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, over 11 crore rural households of the country have access to tap water connections.
The press release issued by the ministry states that 123 districts and more than 1.53 lakh villages in India have reported "Har Ghar Jal," which indicates that every home has access to safe drinking water from the faucet. States/UTs have worked tirelessly to guarantee that tap water is available in every rural home despite a number of setbacks in prior years. On August 15, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to link every rural home to the water system by 2024.
Only 3.23 Crore (16.72%) of the 19.35 Crore rural households had access to tap water at the time the Mission was launched in 2019. Over 11 Crore (56.84%) of rural households have a tap water supply in their houses as of today, just three years after the life-changing mission.
The achievement of 11 Crore Tap Water Connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi also thanked everyone who had benefited from the project and praised those who worked hard to make the Mission a success.
"The vision of our PM Sh. Narendra Modiji, the relentless pursuit of the goals set out for JalJeevanMission by the ministry, and the effort of our team on the ground has made this mega milestone possible," said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, in a tweet about the accomplishment. The Union Minister said, "With this elixir of life reaching their doorsteps, 11 crore homes are now assured of health and well-being."
Regular access to tap water frees individuals, particularly women and young girls, from having to carry heavy bucket loads of water to satisfy daily family needs, which reduces arduous labour that has been done for centuries. The time saved by not having to collect water is put toward earning money, developing new skills, and assisting in the education of children. In the communities where the Jal Jeevan has been attained, teenage girls no longer quit school to assist their mothers in making long walks to acquire water to quench their thirst. It greatly aids in educating and empowering girls.
A campaign was started in 2020 on Gandhi Jayanti to connect tap water to all schools, Anganwadi centres, and ashramshalas (tribal residential schools) so that people can use it for drinking, cooking midday meals, hand washing, and using the restroom.
To date, 8.84 lakh (85.79%) schools and 9.14 lakh (81.75%) Anganwadi centres have access to running water.
In its schools and Anganwadi centres, 2 States (Goa and Kerala) and 3 UTs (A&N Islands, D&NH, and D&D, Puducherry) already have 100% tap water connectivity, and 16 States and UTs are at 90% or more and advancing quickly toward saturation.
According to the bottom-up methodology, JJM is being implemented as a decentralised, demand-driven community-managed programme with the objective of regularly and permanently supplying all rural households with an adequate quantity (55 lpcd) of water of the required quality in the appropriate pressure.
In order to administer, run, and maintain the in-village water supply infrastructure, more than 5.20 lakh PaniSamitis/Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSC) have been established under the Jal Jeevan Mission. More than 17 lakh women have received training in the field of water quality monitoring utilising Field Test Kits (FTKs), which has aided in the emancipation of rural women.