New Delhi: Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Shri B. S. Yediyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnatakajointly reviewed the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Karnataka, today at VidhanSouda, Bengaluru. The Chief Minister assured the visiting Union minister that the State will take all necessary steps to accelerate the pace of implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission and provide tap water supply to remaining 61.05 lakh households in Karnataka by 2023. The Union Minister, Jal Shakti assured the Chief Minister that the Central government will provide all support to State to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target. It is with the aim to translate Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of providing clean tap waterto every household in the country by 2024.
Under the leadership of the Chief Minister, the State will undertake intensive monthly review to provide assured tap water supply to every rural household in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long term basis. During the meeting, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission, Shri Bharat Lal made a presentation highlighting the planning and implementation of the JJM in State. Later, he also had a detailed review meeting with the principal secretary and other senior State officials on speedy implementation of the mission in Karnataka.
At the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, out of a total of 91.19 lakh households, only 24.51 lakh (26.88%) households in Karnataka had tap water connections. In 22 months, 5.62 lakh households have been provided with tap water connections. As a result, now, 30.14 lakh households (33.05%) in villages of Karnataka have tap water supply.
To make Karnataka ‘Har Ghar Jal’ by 2023, the State has planned to provide tap water connections to 25.17 lakh households in 2021-22, 17.93 lakh tap water connections in 2022-23 and remaining 19.93 lakh tap water connections in 2023-24.
Keeping in view of the State’s firm resolve to ensure potable tap water supply to every home, Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has approved Rs. 5,008.79 Crore as central grant under Jal Jeevan Mission, a four-fold increase than previous year’s central allocation. With this enhanced central allocation, opening balance of Rs 177.16 Crore, and State’s matching share of Rs 5,215.93 Crore, a total outlay of Rs 10,401.88 Crore under Jal Jeevan Mission is available for water supply work in the State for 2021-22. Thus, ensuring enough fund availability to accelerate the pace of implementation.
In 2021-22, Rs 1,426 Crore has been allocated to Karnataka as 15th FC tied grant for water & sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/ PRIs. There is an assured funding of Rs 7,524 Crore for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26. This huge investment in rural areas of Karnataka, will accelerate economic activities and also boost rural economy. It will create new employment opportunities in villages.
Karanataka has done good work in providing tap water in schools, ashramshalas and anganwadi centres.At present 41,636 schools (99%) and 51,563 anganwadi centres (95%) have been provided water through taps. Union Minister appreciated the work done by the state ofKarnatakawith respect to schools and anaganwadiandasked the State to ensure 100% tap connectivity in all the remaining learning centresat the earliest, for better health, improved sanitation and hygiene for children.
The State is also according priority to provide tap water supply to households in water-scarce areas, quality-affected villages, Aspirational districts, SC/ ST majority villages and Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages.
Water quality monitoring & surveillance activities are to be given top priority, for which anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, members of Self-Help Groups, PRI members, school teachers etc; are being trained so that they can test water samples for contamination by using Field test Kits (FTKs). Out of a total of 78 laboratories, only 1 lab is NABL accredited. State needs to expedite upgrading of these water quality testing laboratories and securing NABL accreditation. These labs to be open to public so that they can get their water samples tested at a nominal cost.
Jal Jeevan Mission is a ‘bottom up’ approach where community plays a vital role starting from planning to implementation, management, operation and maintenance. To achieve this, State Government has to undertake support activities like strengthening the Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Pani Samiti, developing of Village Action Plan for the next five years, engaging Implementing State Agencies (ISAs) to handhold and support village communities, carry out awareness among people. So far Karnataka has 22,203 VWSCs or Pani Samitis in 28,883 villages and 19,446 Village Action Plan (VAPs) have been prepared. In the year 2021-22, the State has planned to engage 30 Implementing State Agencies (ISAs). Karnataka needs to train about 2 lakh people in rural areas to ensure long-term sustainability and operation & maintenance of the water supply infrastructure for assured water supply to every home.
Launch by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 15th August 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission has been implemented with speed. At the start of the Mission in 2019, out of a total of 19.20 Crore rural households in the country, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had tap water supply. During the last 22 months, despite Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown disruptions, 4.47 Crore households have been provided with piped connections. With the increase in coverage by 23.63%, presently 7.71 Crore (41%) rural households across the country have tap water supply. Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100% household connection in rural areas and has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Following the principle of Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’, the motto of the Mission is that ‘no one is left out’ and every household in a village should be provided with tap water connection. At present, in 71 districts and more than 99 thousand villages, every household has tap water supply.
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