Centre issues guidelines to implement Jal Jeevan Mission

The centre has given out guidelines in connection with the 'Functional Households Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024 to every rural household', saying that no extension of time or cost escalation will be allowed. FHTC is an integral part of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

New Delhi: With an aim to provide Functional Households Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024 to every rural household, the centre on Wednesday issued guidelines highlighting that no extension of time or cost escalation will be allowed.

Providing FHTC is an integral part of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The JJM was approved by the Union Cabinet in August.

As per government records, out of 17.87 crore rural households in the country, about 14.6 crore which accounts for 81.67 per cent are yet to have households water tap connections.

The total project cost has been estimated to be around Rs 3.60 lakh crore. The central share will be Rs 2.08 lakh crore. The fund sharing pattern to be 90:10 for Himalayan and Northeastern states, 50:50 for other states and 100 per cent for UTs.

Some of the salient features of the guidelines issued by the government include:

1. Time-bound completion of schemes under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).
2. Priority to cover water quality affected habitation.
3. Extra budgetary resources will be made available for JJM.
4. The good performance of the states/UTs will be incentivised.
5. Communities to be rewarded by providing 10 per cent of the in village infrastructure costs.
6. Gram panchayats or its subcommittees will play a crucial role in planning, designing, execution, operations and maintenance of the village infrastructure.
7. Water quality monitoring and surveillance has been proposed to be an important component under JJM.
8. The funds released by the central government to the state governments is to be deposited in one single nodal account.

The officials in the Jal Shakti Ministry told ETV Bharat that the aim of the government is to implement the mission at war footing.

They said that other ministries of the government have also been approached to help the Jal Shakti Ministry in this direction.

The guidelines further said that every village is to prepare a village action plan (VAP) and this VAP will be aggregated at the district level to formulate the district action plan which will be aggregated at the state level to formulate the state action plan.