Centre allocates Rs 3,323 cr grant to Odisha under Jal Jeevan Mission

The Central government's grant to Odisha under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the year 2021-22 has been increased to Rs 3,323.42 crores, which was Rs 812.15 crore in 2020-21.

Under the mission, the Centre aims to providing clean tap water to every household to improve the lives of people especially women and children,

As per the official release by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Union Minister of Jal Shakti Ministry Gajendra Singh Shekhawat while approving this four-fold increase in the allocation has assured full assistance to the State for making provision of tap water supply in every rural home by March 2024.

At the start of the Mission in 2019, out of a total of 18.93 crores rural households in the country, only 3.23 crores (17 per cent) had tap water connections. During the last 22 months, despite the COVID-19 pandemic resulting into lockdowns and repeated disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission has been implemented with speed and 4.5 crores households have been provided with tap water connections. With the increase in coverage by 23.5 percent, presently 7.69 crores (40.6 percent) rural households across the country have tap water supply.

Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100 per cent household with assured tap water supply and have become 'Har Ghar Jal'. At present, in 69 districts and more than 99 thousand villages, every household has tap water supply, the government said.

On August 15, 2019, at the time of the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, only 3.10 lakh (3.63 percent) households had tap water connections. Since then, 22.84 lakh households in Odisha have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, in Odisha, out of a total of 85.66 lakh households, now 25.95 lakh households (30.3 percent) have tap water supply. In 2021-22, State has planned to provide tap water connections to 21.31 lakh households, 22.53 lakh tap water connections in the year 2022-23 and 18.87 lakh tap water connections in 2023-24 to achieve tap water supply for every rural household.

In his letter to the Chief Minister of Odisha, Shekhawat has emphasised that the work of providing tap connections should start in all the villages so that the state can provide tap water supply to every household by March 2024.

To support Odisha in its endeavour to execute the annual plan for 2021-22, Central allocation has been increased four-fold. With unspent balance of Rs. 10.93 crores and matching State's share of Rs. 3,253 crore, in all Rs 6,596 crore is available for water supply work in the State in 2021-22. Thus, there is no shortage of fund availability.

To enable Panchayati Raj Institutions to manage water supply and ensure improved sanitation in villages, in 2021-22, Rs 1,002 crore has been allocated to Odisha as 15th Finance Commission tied grant for water and sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/ PRIs.

( With inputs from ANI )