New Delhi: In another major step to enhance safe drinking water supply across rural India, the Centre on Tuesday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) under the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 with four states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The reform linked MoU mandates a gram panchayat led, service based and community centred model of rural water governance, aligned with the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 and seeks to ensure that every rural household has access to quality drinking water supply in adequate quantity on a regular basis, through strengthened community participation, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The MoUs aim to bring structural reforms for sustainable operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems, thereby enhancing the living standards of rural communities contributing to long term water security, the statement said.
The MoUs were signed in the presence of the Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil, Chief Ministers of the respective states and senior officials from the Centre’s Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), including the Secretary Ashok Meena, during five separate meetings conducted via online video conferences.
Addressing the gathering, Union Jal Shakti Minister Paatil said that Jal Jeevan Mission, launched under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has transformed rural drinking water supply across the country and reduced the ordeal of fetching water, especially by women and girls.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, now the focus is on sustaining the infrastructures created under the Mission, functionality of tap connections, water quality, source sustainability, community ownership and regular monitoring as key priorities.
Union Minister Paatil also stressed the need for water conservation, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, greywater management, catchment area protection and community-based water quality monitoring.
He said that Gram Panchayats, District Water and Sanitation Missions, State Water and Sanitation Missions, and local communities must work together to ensure reliable drinking water services.
Emphasising the importance of institutional mechanisms for sustainable water service delivery, the DDWS Secretary Ashok Meena stressed that District Water and Sanitation Mission meetings should be conducted regularly by all district collectors.
He noted that timely meetings would facilitate the preparation of village action plans and support the certification of panchayats as capable institutions for managing rural water supply systems.
The Secretary underlined that district administrations would play a crucial role in monitoring implementation, conducting periodic reviews, and extending necessary support to gram panchayats whenever required.
(IANS)
