Centre has allocated Rs 8 lakh crore for Jal Jeevan Mission implementation: Parliamentary Committee on Water Resources chief Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Idukki, June 29
BJP MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Monday said that the Government of India has allocated Rs 8 lakh crore for the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing safe drinking water to every household in the country.
Speaking to the media, he said the committee is actively reviewing multiple aspects of water resources, including drinking water supply, irrigation, groundwater depletion, floods, dams and disaster management.
"This is a powerful committee as it deals with drinking water and water resources across the country. The scope is wide. On drinking water, the Prime Minister's strong initiative--the Jal Jeevan Mission--aims to provide safe water to every household. The Government of India has allocated Rs 8 lakh crore for its implementation nationwide," Rudy said.
He added that Keralam has performed well in earlier reviews and is expected to benefit further from the mission.
"Keralam has performed well in earlier reviews, and it is expected to benefit further from this mission. Swachh Bharat is also linked, alongside wider water resource issues such as floods, dams, and irrigation. Around 80% of water is consumed in irrigation, and 20% for drinking. Reviews cover availability, groundwater depletion, contamination, and adequacy of water for future generations," he said.
Rudy further said that the committee examines data from multiple agencies to assess water availability and disaster preparedness across states.
"The committee studies groundwater, irrigation, and disasters like landslides and flash floods. Reports come from the Central Water Commission, flood control authorities, and state disaster management forces, covering all aspects of water in Kerala and across India," he added.
The Jal Jeevan Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019, with the ambitious goal of providing tap water supply to every rural household by 2024. At the time of its inception, only 3.23 crore (17%) of rural households had tap water connections.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive allocation but I'm skeptical. We've seen many water schemes fail due to corruption and lack of maintenance. The 80% irrigation vs 20% drinking split they mentioned is concerning—are we really prioritizing drinking water? Also, groundwater depletion is a serious issue in states like Punjab and Rajasthan. Hope this isn't just another statistic on paper.
As someone from the US who has worked on water projects in India, I'm genuinely impressed by the scale of this mission. ₹8 lakh crore is around $96 billion—that's a serious commitment. The focus on household tap connections rather than community standpipes is a progressive shift. Hope they also invest in wastewater treatment and recharge structures, not just pipelines.
Good initiative but what about flood-prone areas? In Kerala, we have too much water during monsoons and too little in summer. The committee should focus on rainwater harvesting mandates and interlinking of rivers. Also, ₹8 lakh crore is huge—hope there's strict auditing. We need transparent dashboards showing progress village-wise. Otherwise, it's just another scheme benefiting contractors.
Finally, a committee talking about groundwater depletion seriously! In Maharashtra, our water table has dropped 20 feet in 10 years. The 2024 deadline seems ambitious—only 17% households had connections when launched in 2019. Have we achieved 50% yet? Need more data. Also, linking Swachh Bharat with Jal Jeevan is smart—clean water and sanitation go hand in hand. 🚰
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