Centre, Andaman and Nicobar administration ink 'Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0' agreement
New Delhi, May 18
Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on Monday said the Centre has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration under 'Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0' to strengthen drinking water services in remote and island regions.
In a post on social media platform X, Paatil said: "The agreement was signed between the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Andaman and Nicobar administration under the inspiration and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of efforts to fulfil the 'Har Ghar Jal' commitment."
He said the MoU marked "an important step towards ensuring safe, regular and sustainable drinking water services in remote and island regions".
The signing ceremony was attended by Lieutenant Governor Admiral D.K. Joshi, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V. Somanna and senior officials from the ministry and the Union Territory administration.
The agreement comes as the Centre expands the second phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission, which has shifted focus from infrastructure creation to long-term service delivery and sustainability.
The Union Cabinet in March approved the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission until December 2028.
According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the restructured mission emphasises reliable and safe drinking water supply, governance reforms, community participation and source sustainability measures such as water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
The Centre has also been signing reform-linked MoUs with States and Union Territories to improve accountability, operation and maintenance of rural water systems, and strengthen village-level participation in water management.
Official data from the Jal Jeevan Mission portal shows that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had achieved full household tap water coverage under the mission.
The Union Territory has more than 62,000 rural households with tap water connections, compared with coverage of around 46 per cent when the programme began in 2019.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, some attention to Andaman and Nicobar! People in mainland India often forget these islands are home to thousands of families. But I hope the "community participation" part is actually implemented—many times schemes look good on paper but fail on ground. Let's see what the next 5 years bring.
Impressive that Andaman has gone from 46% coverage to 100% on paper. As someone who worked in development projects in India, the real test is whether water actually reaches every tap consistently. Hope the shift to "long-term service delivery" in Phase 2 means better maintenance and quality checks. Good initiative overall.
As a resident of Car Nicobar, access to clean water has been a daily struggle, especially during dry months. We appreciate this focus on rainwater harvesting and source sustainability. Just hoping the administration doesn't forget the more interior tribal villages in this rollout. Well done to the ministry for signing this MoU. 👍
Good initiative but I am a bit skeptical about "Har Ghar Jal" when many mainland villages still lack proper water supply despite spending crores. For islands, logistics are even more complex—pipeline maintenance, diesel costs for pumping, etc. Let's hope the government's "reform-linked MoUs" bring real accountability, not just photo ops.
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