Surat, Feb 2: The Jal Jeevan Mission has provided tap water connections to 15.44 crore households so far while the remaining 4.33 crore households will be covered by 2028, Union minister CR Paatil said on Sunday.
He said the clean tap water connections saved the lives of four lakh children by avoiding potential infection risks from drinking impure water.
Paatil told reporters in Surat that 75 crore people so far benefited from the tap water connections under the JJM.
Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households in rural India.
Paatil said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, has ensured 100 per cent coverage under the scheme by 2028.
The BJP MP claimed that as per the World Health Organisation, the Jal Jeevan Mission has helped save Rs 8.4 lakh crore that was spent on (medical) treatment for water-borne diseases.
The JJM has been extended till 2028 with an enhanced allocation of Rs 67,000 crore in Budget 2025-26. This marks a significant increase from the revised estimates of Rs 22,694 crore in 2024-25. (PTI)
