By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 27: Seven states, including Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, have qualified for the 2020-21 performance incentive grant under Union ministry of jal shakti’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat on Saturday approved Rs 465 crore as a performance incentive to these states.
For the grant, the criteria include physical and financial progress under JJM, functionality of piped water supply schemes and capacity to utilise the fund.
Despite the covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, speedy implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission on the ground has set an example and during the financial year, more than 3.16 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections.
Presently, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa and Telangana have become Har Ghar Jal States or union territories. Every household in the 55 districts and 85,000 villages in the states and UTs, have tap water supply.
Since the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, four crore households have been
provided tap water connections, thus increasing the tap water supply from 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural households in the country to more than 7.20 crore (37.6 per cent), a statement from the ministry read.
Northeastern states, despite hilly terrain and forested areas, have implemented the JJM with speed and scale. It is for the first time that five states from the region have qualified for the performance incentive grant.
The Jal Jeevan Mission under the Union ministry of jal shakti had sent a delegation of experts to help the states to plan better. The provision of a performance incentive fund under the Jal Jeevan Mission has generated a healthy competition among states/ UTs, which will help in speedy implementation.
The mission aims to provide all rural households with tap water connections by 2024 to improve quality of life and enhance ‘ease of living’ of the country’s people.
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