Big Boost For Drinking Water: Jal Jeevan Mission extended to 2028
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) until December 2028, with a revised total outlay of Rs 8.69 lakh crore, as the government seeks to shift the rural drinking water programme from infrastructure creation to a service delivery–driven model under JJM 2.0. Under the revised framework, the Centre’s financial support will increase to Rs 3.59 lakh crore, up from Rs 2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20, implying an additional central share of Rs 1.51 lakh crore.
The government said the restructured mission will focus on drinking water governance, institutional systems and sustainable service delivery, moving beyond the earlier infrastructure-centric approach. As part of the reforms, a national digital framework called “Sujalam Bharat” will be introduced. Under this system, each village will receive a unique “Sujal Gaon/Service Area ID”, digitally mapping the entire drinking water supply network from source to household tap.
The programme will also introduce “Jal Arpan”, under which Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) will participate in the commissioning and formal handover of water supply schemes to improve transparency and accountability. A Gram Panchayat will declare itself “Har Ghar Jal” only after certifying that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms are in place, the government said.
To strengthen community ownership, the mission will also promote “Jal Utsav”, an annual community-led review and maintenance event aimed at reinforcing collective responsibility for sustainable drinking water management. The government said the scheme has already made significant progress since its launch in 2019.From a baseline of 3.23 crore rural households (17%) with tap water connections in 2019, more than 12.56 crore additional rural households have received tap water connections under the mission.
Currently, 15.80 crore out of 19.36 crore rural households in the country -- about 81.61%--have tap water connections, according to official data. Several independent studies have also highlighted the wider impact of the programme.
