New Delhi: The Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will be chairing a conference of states and UTs ministers on Jal Jeevan Mission on Saturday (March 13, 2021). It will be with all the ministers of states and UTs in-charge of the Rural Water Supply.

The conference is organized to discuss planning, implementation and progress made so far as well as the way forward so that the remaining households in villages get tap water connections at the earliest.

In the conference, Shekhawat is scheduled to release the ‘Drinking water quality testing, monitoring & surveillance’ and also launch the JJM – Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS). 

The Mission has developed the online portal and mobile app on WQMIS in partnership with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The fully automated data management system will test water samples and help in assuring a safe supply of drinking water and in case of contamination, remedial action shall be initiated. 

Notably, for the first time, the water quality data will be made available in the public domain in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for transparency, accountability and good governance.

The Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria, Secretary DDWS Pankaj Kumar, Addl Secretary & Mission Director Bharat Lal will be present in the conference. 

The Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship programme of the Union Government for providing tap water connection in every rural household by 2024. 

Since the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15 2019, significant progress has been made across the country and so far, more than 3.79 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections, as per the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Every family living in 52 districts, 672 Blocks, 42,322 Panchayats and 81,863 villages are getting assured tap water supply in their homes.

Under the mission, aim is to provide 12 crore household tap connections with an investment of more than 1 lakh crore annually for next three years.