Parliament Question: Technology integration and the ‘Jal Seva Aankalan’ framework

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3434 ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026 TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION AND THE 'JAL SEVA AANKALAN' FRAMEWORK 3434 # SHRI ADITYA PRASAD: SHRI UJJWAL DEORAO NIKAM: SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: SHRI BRIJ LAL: SHRI BABUBHAI JESANGBHAI DESAI: DR. PARMAR JASHVANTSINH SALAMSINH: SHRI NARAYANA KORAGAPPA: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the newly launched Jal Seva Aankalan framework has successfully established a standard rating system to assess and improve quality of drinking water services in rural households; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) the manner in which integration of AI and IoT-based monitoring has helped in maintaining the sustainability of tap water connections in high-altitude and difficult-to-reach terrains; (d) measurable progress made under the NAQUIM 2.0 (National Aquifer Mapping) project in providing high-resolution groundwater data to help farmers; and (e) manner in which Catch the Rain 2025-26 portal improved real-time tracking of afforestation and catchment area protection activities across various river basins? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) and (b) Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household. Water is a state subject and therefore, the primary responsibility for planning and implementing piped water supply schemes to provide tap water to their households, lies with the respective State/UT. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance under JJM. To ensure regular, adequate, and quality rural water supply, the Department launched "Jal Seva Aankalan" on 30 December 2025. Under this initiative, the Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC) conducts village-level assessments. Following a Gram Sabha presentation, the Panchayat Page 1 of 4Secretary digitally submits the data on the JJM-IMIS Dashboard for ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages. District and State authorities then review this information to identify service gaps and formulate effective improvement plans for sustainable water management. (c) This Department has developed Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) digital portal and mobile app for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to strengthen transparency, data accuracy, and real-time review. Under JJM, the IMIS and online dashboards are functional at Panchayat, District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM), State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) and National levels in all States/UTs. To ensure the authenticity of data on the IMIS portal, the Department has implemented a multi- layered verification mechanism. This includes mandatory Aadhaar seeding of beneficiaries, Geo- tagging of assets through Sujalam Bharat App, Uploading of pipelines on PM-GatiShakti Portal. Further, to ensure effective performance of IoT devices installed across villages in the country, the department has shared with all States / UTs the “roadmap for the measurement & monitoring or water service delivery system in rural areas”. This devices has transformed tap water sustainability in high- altitude and difficult-to-reach terrains by replacing manual oversight with automated, real-time monitoring. (d) The National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) programme, started in 2012, completed mapping of about 25.15 lakh sq. km. of aquifers across India by March 2023. The maps and management plans have been shared with States to support better groundwater management. NAQUIM 2.0, launched in 2023, focuses on more detailed, village-level studies to provide scientific inputs for managing groundwater. It covers priority areas such as water-stressed regions, urban areas, coastal zones, springs, industrial and mining areas, and regions with poor groundwater quality. So far, 144 studies covering about 77,157 sq. km. have been taken up/completed under NAQUIM 2.0 in different critical areas. The programme also promotes micro-irrigation and crop diversification to improve water use efficiency and reduce over-dependence on groundwater, especially in stressed regions. (e) The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in 2019 as a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign in 256 water-stressed districts. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) with the tagline: Catch The Rain, Where It falls, When It Falls, was expanded pan India in 2021, with five focused interventions (1) water conservation and rainwater harvesting (2) enumerating, geo- tagging & making inventory of all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation based on it (3) Setting up of Jal Shakti Kendras in all districts (4) intensive afforestation and (5) awareness generation. The Abhiyan was scaled up to cover all districts, blocks, and municipalities across the country (rural as well as urban). The 6th edition of JSA: CTR was launched on 22nd March 2025 with the theme “Jal Sanchay, Jan Bhagidari: Jan Jagrukta Ki Or”. JSA: CTR campaign is implemented nationwide and each edition has included a targeted focus since 2023 to maximize impact. The JSA: CTR 2023, with the theme “Source Sustainability for Drinking Water,” prioritized 150 special focus districts identified by the Jal Jeevan Mission. The JSA: CTR 2024 campaign, themed “Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti,” was carried out across the country with a special focus on 151 districts identified by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). The JSA: CTR 2025 was launched with the theme “Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari: Jan Jagrukta Ki Or” emphasizing deeper grassroots engagement, inter-sectoral convergence and innovative financing mechanisms with Page 2 of 4special focus on 148 districts identified by CGWB. The state wise data of JSA:CTR as reported on the JSA: CTR portal is attached at Annexure. The campaign emphasizes convergent financing from various schemes of the Central, State and local bodies like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Per Drop More Crop, Repair, Renovation and Restoration Components under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Finance Commission grants etc. ***** Page 3 of 4Annexure Annexure referred in reply to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3434 due for answer on 23/03/2026 JSA: CTR data (22/03/2025 to 17/03/2026) as per JSA: CTR portal. S.No. State *Renovation of *Reuse and *Watershed *Intensive Traditional Recharge Structures Development Afforestation Water Bodies 1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands 29 61 39 11 2 Andhra Pradesh 46773 77647 89981 97441 3 Arunachal Pradesh 40 124 312 1117 4 Assam 947 2326 13961 16173 5 Bihar 4772 20378 39545 504081 6 Chandigarh 0 0 0 119364 7 Chhattisgarh 6879 8903 18164 51631 8 0 25 2 82 Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman &Diu 9 Delhi 17 2 0 5146 10 Goa 51 18 40 4 11 Gujarat 3593 13753 13784 3939190 12 Haryana 1440 2109 2949 4770847 13 Himachal Pradesh 769 565 30293 4322 14 Jammu and Kashmir 4014 8203 70165 395618 15 Jharkhand 310 2600 118758 49291 16 Karnataka 8645 17919 79663 157671 17 Kerala 6393 15662 58413 6951 18 Ladakh 5 28 456 176 19 Lakshadweep 4 0 0 0 20 Madhya Pradesh 2494 11515 23700 13779 21 Maharashtra 1871 12203 4426 439586 22 Manipur 939 34 1574 1508 23 Meghalaya 293 138 3784 75843 24 Mizoram 38 488 5124 863 25 Nagaland 25 49 262 1129 26 Odisha 7628 7137 27561 30321 27 Puducherry 570 0 4 0 28 Punjab 4435 474 6033 4595038 29 Rajasthan 10487 14502 33211 15538585 30 Sikkim 5 456 1619 3536 31 Tamil Nadu 2882 32103 56168 262065 32 Telangana 6955 13087 19115 109765 33 Tripura 114 717 8619 11855 34 Uttar Pradesh 26235 14285 302630 14784670 35 Uttarakhand 1213 534 16060 15191 36 West Bengal 935 41 1217 11073 Total 151800 278086 1047632 46013923 Page 4 of 4