New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission with an enhanced outlay of Rs. 8.69 lakh crore.

Briefing reporters on decisions of Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that Union approved Ministry of Jal Shakti's proposal to restructure and reorient the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) from infrastructure creation to a service delivery, supported by drinking water governance and institutional ecosystem for sustainable rural piped potable water supply.

For restructuring JJM with focus on structural reforms, Cabinet approved enhancement of total outlay to Rs. 8.69 lakh crore with total central assistance of Rs. 3.59 lakh crore, enhancing from Rs. 2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20 i.e. additional central share of Rs. 1.51 lakh crore.

According to a release, a uniform national digital framework, namely 'Sujalam Bharat', shall be instituted, under which every village shall be assigned a unique Sujal Gaon / Service Area ID, digitally mapping the complete drinking water supply system from source to tap.

For ensuring transparency and accountability there will be involvement of gram panchayats and VWSCs in the commissioning and formal handover of schemes through 'Jal Arpan'.

A Gram Panchayat shall certify completion of works and declare itself 'Har Ghar Jal' only upon confirmation that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms have been established by the State Government.

Recognizing that community ownership and participation are critical for operational efficiency and source sustainability, the programme shall promote 'Jal Utsav' as an annual, community-led maintenance and review event, integrating local cultural ethos while reinforcing collective responsibility for drinking water secure future, the release said.

From the baseline of 3.23 crore (17%) rural households with tap water connections in 2019, so far, more than 12.56 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM.

At present, out of 19.36 crore rural households identified by the States/UTs in the country, around 15.80 crore (81.61%) households are reported to have tap water connections.

Beyond the physical achievements, impacts of JJM have been assessed by reputed national and international institutions/ individuals, the release said.

'SBI Research reported that JJM has freed 9 crore women from fetching water, enabling greater participation in other economic activities. World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated reduction in women drudgery by saving of 5.5 crore hours daily, prevention of 400,000 diarrheal deaths, and savings of 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs),' the release said.

It said Nobel laureate Prof. Michael Kremer estimated a potential of 30% reduction in under-five mortality, saving 1,36,000 lives annually.

'IIM Bangalore & International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated generation of 59.9 lakh direct and 2.2 crore indirect person-years of potential employment, strengthening rural livelihoods through JJM. Women and the girl child have emerged as the principal beneficiaries of this intervention, with substantial gains in terms of reduced drudgery, improved health and hygiene, enhanced dignity, and greater opportunities for education and livelihood activities,' the release said.

It said JJM 2.0 would facilitate the certification of all Gram Panchayats as 'Har Ghar Jal', by provisioning tap water connection to all the 19.36 crore rural households across the country by December 2028 while ensuring adherence to timelines, scheme sustainability, and delivery of citizen-centric water services through Separate MoUs with State/UTs. JJM 2.0 also fosters the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 with assured 24x7 rural drinking water supply by shifting from infrastructure-centric approach to a citizen-centric utility-based service delivery approach through Structural Reforms.

'With Whole of Government approach, Strategic convergence among various Departments at Government of India level for sustainable and long-term operation and maintenance of rural water supply infrastructure and scheme source sustenance has also been envisaged under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0,' the release said. (ANI)