Jal Jeevan Mission Extended to 2028

Extension & Outlay: Mission period extended to Dec 2028; total outlay Rs 8.69 lakh crore.
Target: Tap‑water connections for 19.36 crore rural households (100% "Har Ghar Jal").
Current Coverage (2026): 15.80 crore households (81.61%) have tap connections.
Digital Governance Framework: Sujalam Bharat – each village assigned a Sujal Gaon/Service Area ID; end‑to‑end digital mapping of source‑to‑tap.
Community Ownership: Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Village Water Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) to certify "Har Ghar Jal" under "Jal Arpan".
Strategic Vision: Aligns with Viksit Bharat @2047 – 24×7 rural drinking water supply, citizen‑centric utility model, Whole‑of‑Government approach.

Launched in 2019, JJM aimed to provide safe drinking water to every rural household by 2024.
Mid‑term review showed gaps in coverage, operation‑maintenance (O&M) and data transparency.
JJM 2.0 introduced structural reforms: digital monitoring, community certification, and a shift from infrastructure‑centric to service‑centric delivery.

Health: WHO estimates prevention of 4 lakh diarrhoeal deaths and 14 million DALYs saved.
Gender Equality: 9 crore women freed from water‑fetching; estimated 5.5 crore hours of daily labour saved.
Child Mortality: Nobel laureate Michael Kremer projects 30% reduction in under‑five mortality – 1.36 lakh lives saved annually.
Employment: IIM‑B & ILO estimate 59.9 lakh direct and 2.2 crore indirect person‑years of employment.
SDG Alignment: Directly contributes to SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 3 (Good Health), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work).
Fiscal Implication: Large capital outlay demands robust financing, state‑center coordination and O&M budgeting.

Article 21 – Right to life includes the right to clean drinking water.
Article 46 – Promotion of educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections – JJM’s gender‑equity impact aligns.
Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 – Ensures quality of supplied water.
National Water Policy 2012 – Emphasises universal access to safe drinking water.

Sujalam Bharat Portal – real‑time data on sources, treatment plants, pipelines, and household connections.
Jal Arpan Certification – GP‑level audit; mandatory O&M plans.
Whole‑of‑Government (WoG) Approach – Coordination among Ministry of Jal Shakti, Rural Development, Finance, and State Governments.

O&M Funding – Sustainable financing for operation after capital completion.
Ground‑water Depletion – Need for integrated water resources management.
Capacity Building – Training of GP members and VWSCs for monitoring.
Technology Adoption – Ensuring digital literacy at village level for Sujalam Bharat.

Prepared for UPSC aspirants – focus on factual data, policy analysis, and relevance to governance and sustainable development.