72% rural households have piped drinking water: Govt

'Drinking Water is a state subject, and hence, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of water supply schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission, lies with states,' the Ministry said.

New Delhi: Union Ministry of Jal Shakti on Tuesday said that 72.29 per cent rural households in the country have so far received tap water connection, under the centrally sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

Out of 19.25 crore rural households in the country, more than 13.91 crore households have been provided with tap water connections. For the remaining 5.34 crore households, work is on to provide piped water, the Ministry said in a statement.

At the start of the Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, only 3.23 crore (16.8 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections.

In Karnataka, a total 72.56 lakh households out of 1.01 crore households have so far received piped connections. As on August 19, 2019, only 24.51 lakh households, 24.23 per cent, had received pipe connections.
“Drinking Water is a state subject, and hence, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of water supply schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission, lies with states. The Government of India supports the states by providing technical and financial assistance,” the Ministry said.

Under JJM, provisions have been made for development/strengthening/augmentation of drinking water sources, and infrastructure for bulk transfer of water, treatment and distribution systems in water deficit drought-prone and desert areas without dependable groundwater sources apart from the creation of
in-village water supply infrastructure, the Ministry said.

In addition, provisions for taking up augmentation and strengthening of local drinking water sources in convergence with other schemes at the village level viz. MGNREGS, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), State schemes, District Mineral Development Fund, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and community contributions also envisaged under the JJM, the Ministry said.