Shillong, Nov 4: Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, has lauded Meghalaya for its remarkable achievement in implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Meghalaya’s tap water connections coverage to households under JJM is 41.5 percent, which is 5.5 percent better than national average of 36 percent.
While comparing the coverage of JJM in Meghalaya with the national achievement, the Minister said that at the time when the scheme was launched, the State had less than 1 percent of coverage of tap water connected rural households. During these years, Meghalaya has made remarkable progress and has been able to achieve 41.5 percent of tap water connections.
The Union Minister said this after attending a review meeting of different schemes of the Government of India such as Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Har Kher Ko Pani, Springshed Development Project for Rejuvenation of Springs for Climate Resilient Development in Meghalaya on Thursday.
The Minister further stated that wherein the national jump was 36 per cent, Meghalaya could make a jump of around 41 per cent. He said, “Today we have again reviewed in detail how the challenges and bottlenecks in achieving 100 per cent coverage in the state could be addressed. Out of the 6.30 lakh households, tap connections have been established in 2.61 lakhs households. I have firm belief that Meghalaya will be able to provide tap water connections to the remaining households way before the deadline.”
The Minister also lauded the efforts of the Meghalaya government for the ambitious projects that it has undertaken for spring rejuvenation and watershed management. The achievements of Meghalaya in these sectors would become an example for other states to follow, he added.
The Minister said he believes that Meghalaya can be the torch bearer among the other Northeastern states with the various ambitious projects in different sectors and can fulfill the dream of Hon’ble Prime Minister to become the growth engine of the nation.
Earlier, the Union Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission,’ from the parapets of Red Fort on August 15, 2019. The ‘Har Ghar Jal’ project is a part of the mission, which aims to provide regular drinkable tap water in sufficient quantity and quality to each and every rural household in India by 2024.
The initiative aims to liberate sisters and mothers from practices of fetching water for domestic use. The initiative is bringing comfort and dignity to people in the country’s rural areas.
The Minister intimated that out of the targeted 19.15 crore rural homes in India, 10.44 crore, or more than 54 percent, currently have tap water connections. The national jump during these years has been 36 per cent.
