New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The Centre on Tuesday approved Rs 5,008.79 crore as central grant under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to Karnataka to provide tap water connections to households. Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa jointly reviewed the implementation of the JJM.
Yediyurappa assured Shekhawat that the state will take all necessary steps to accelerate the pace of implementation of the JJM and provide tap water supply to the remaining 61.05 lakh households in Karnataka by 2023. Shekhawat told the chief minister that the central government will provide all support to the state to achieve the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target with the aim to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing clean tap water to every household in the country by 2024.
Shekhawat has approved Rs 5,008.79 crore as central grant under the JJM, a four-fold increase from the previous year’s central allocation in view of Karnataka’s firm resolve to ensure potable tap water supply to every home.
At the time of the launch of the JJM, out of a total 91.19 lakh households, only 24.51 lakh (26.88 per cent) households in Karnataka had tap water connections. In 22 months since its launch on August 15, 2019, 5.62 lakh households have been provided with tap water connections. As a result, now, 30.14 lakh households (33.05 per cent) in the villages of Karnataka have tap water supply.
To have ‘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 the remaining 19.93 lakh tap water connections in 2023-24.
According to the union ministry of Jal Shakti, Karnataka has done good work in providing tap water in schools, ashramshalas and anganwadi centres. At present 41,636 schools (99 percent) and 51,563 anganwadi centres (95 per cent) have been provided water through taps.
Appreciating the work done by Karnataka in schools and anganwadis, Shekhawat asked the state to ensure 100 per cent tap connectivity in all the remaining learning centres at the earliest, for better health, improved sanitation and hygiene for children.
