Parliament Question: Status and impact of tap-water coverage under Jal Jeevan Mission

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO – 272 ANSWERED ON 02/02/2026 STATUS AND IMPACT OF TAP-WATER COVERAGE UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION 272. SHRI MILIND MURLI DEORA: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether over 15.72 crore rural households have been provided tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission as on October, 2025; (b) the criteria adopted for prioritising States, districts and habitations for project implementation; (c) the estimated increase in tap-water coverage and service capacity projected for 2026; (d) the total person-years of employment generated under the Mission so far; and (e) whether mechanisms are in place for continuous water-quality monitoring and community- level testing to ensure safety standards? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) to (d) The Government of India in partnership with States/UTs is implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide functional tap water connections to every rural household (at 55 lpcd, BIS:10500 standard). Progress has been substantial: starting from 3.24 crore (16.71%) connections in August 2019, the number has surged to over 15.79 Crore (81.57%) households as of January 29, 2026, providing water supply to the majority of rural India. Water is a State subject. The responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance (O&M) of drinking water supply schemes lies with State/UT Governments. The Government of India supports the States/UTs by providing technical and financial assistance as per criteria mentioned in the operational guidelines for the implementation of JJM. (e) The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) ensures sustainability through stringent quality control and third-party inspections. Transparency is maintained via the online JJM dashboard and geo- tagging of assets. Community participation is central: over 5.32 lakh Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) manage local systems, and 24.80 lakh women have been Page 1 of 2trained for local water quality testing. The mission converges funding from multiple schemes and offers incentives for operation and maintenance, ensuring long-term community ownership and effective service delivery. States/UTs are advised to regularly test water quality. To encourage public participation, water quality testing laboratories are open to the general public for a nominal fee, supported by the online JJM–Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal. ***** Page 2 of 2