Access to clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental human right, yet millions of rural households in India have historically lacked reliable access to potable water. Launched on August 15, 2019, by the Government of India, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal is a transformative initiative aimed at providing functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to every rural household in the country. Initially set to achieve this goal by 2024, the mission has been extended to 2028 with an enhanced budget allocation, reflecting the government's commitment to ensuring 100% rural water coverage. As of 2025, the mission has made remarkable progress, connecting over 80% of rural households to piped water supply, but challenges remain in achieving universal coverage. This article explores the objectives, achievements, challenges, and future roadmap of the Jal Jeevan Mission as it strives to deliver "Har Ghar Jal" by 2028.
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What is Jal Jeevan Mission
The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched on August 15, 2019, by the Government of India, aims to provide functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to every rural household by 2028, ensuring access to 55 liters of safe drinking water per person per day. Operating under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, JJM seeks to achieve "Har Ghar Jal" by prioritizing quality-affected, drought-prone, and underserved areas, while also ensuring water supply to schools, Anganwadi centers, and community buildings. As of 2025, over 80% of rural households (15.67 crore) have tap connections, with 11 states/UTs achieving 100% coverage.
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| Jal Jeevan Mission |
The mission promotes community ownership through Village Water and Sanitation Committees, trains women for water quality testing, and emphasizes sustainable water management. With a Rs 67,000 crore budget for 2025-26, JJM addresses challenges like fund utilization and water quality monitoring to achieve universal rural water coverage by 2028.
Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Phase II
Jal Jeevan Mission Highlights
| Scheme | Jal Jeevan Mission |
|---|---|
| Launch Date | August 15, 2019 |
| Objective | Provide functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to all rural households by 2028, delivering 55 liters of safe drinking water per person per day. |
| Coverage (as of July 2025) | 15.67 crore rural households (80.97% of 19.36 crore) have tap water connections. |
| 100% Coverage States/UTs | Goa, Andaman & Nicobar, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh. |
| Budget (2025-26) | Rs 67,000 crore allocated to support infrastructure and water quality monitoring. |
| Community Infrastructure | 9.32 lakh schools (89.62%) and 9.66 lakh Anganwadi centers (85.60%) provided with tap water. |
| Women Empowerment | Over 24.80 lakh women trained for water quality testing using Field Testing Kits (FTKs) across 5.07 lakh villages. |
| Water Quality Labs | 2,775 water quality testing laboratories operational by July 2025, up from 2,113 in January 2024. |
| Aspirational Districts | Coverage increased from 7.86% in 2019 to 72.08% in 2025. |
| Category | Central Govt Scheme |
| Year | 2025 |
Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme
Background and Objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission
The Jal Jeevan Mission was launched under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, restructuring and subsuming the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). At its inception, only 3.23 crore rural households (16.7% of the total) had access to tap water connections. The mission's primary objective is to provide every rural household with a functional tap connection delivering 55 liters of safe drinking water per person per day, adhering to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) quality norms. The initiative emphasizes long-term sustainability, community participation, and decentralized water management to ensure equitable access to water, particularly in underserved areas.
Transforming rural lives.
— BJP (@BJP4India) August 1, 2025
Jal Jeevan Mission brings safe drinking water to villages, reducing fluoride danger by 57 times since 2014! 🚰 pic.twitter.com/ojpBhybybg
Key objectives of the JJM include:
- Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs): Ensuring every rural household has a reliable tap water connection.
- Priority Areas: Focusing on quality-affected, drought-prone, desert, and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages.
- Community Infrastructure: Providing tap water to schools, Anganwadi centers, health centers, and community buildings.
- Water Quality and Sustainability: Regular monitoring of water quality and sustainable water source management.
- Community Ownership: Encouraging local contributions through cash, kind, or labor (shramdaan) to foster a sense of ownership.
- Capacity Building: Training local communities, especially women, in water quality testing and infrastructure maintenance.
- Public Awareness: Promoting the importance of safe drinking water through campaigns and stakeholder engagement.
The mission operates as a centrally sponsored scheme with a funding pattern of 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern states, 100% for Union Territories, and 50:50 for other states, ensuring collaborative efforts between the central and state governments.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
Progress and Achievements as of 2025
As of July 28, 2025, the Jal Jeevan Mission has achieved significant milestones, with 15.67 crore rural households (80.97% of the total 19.36 crore) provided with tap water connections. This marks a substantial increase from the 3.23 crore households covered in 2019. According to the JJM Dashboard, 11 states and Union Territories—Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh—have achieved 100% tap water coverage. Other states like Uttarakhand (97.64%), Bihar (95.71%), and Ladakh (96.88%) are close to full coverage, while states like Kerala (54.66%), Jharkhand (55.05%), and Rajasthan (56.81%) lag behind.
The mission has also made strides in providing tap water to 9.32 lakh schools (89.62%) and 9.66 lakh Anganwadi centers (85.60%) nationwide, ensuring access to safe water for children and community institutions. In aspirational districts, tap water coverage has increased from 7.86% in 2019 to 72.08% in 2025, reflecting targeted efforts in underserved regions.
Pradhanmantri Matru Vandana Yojana
The JJM has empowered communities through initiatives like the Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS), launched in 2022 to assess the performance of states and districts. Additionally, over 24.80 lakh women across 5.07 lakh villages have been trained to test water quality using Field Testing Kits (FTKs), enhancing local capacity for water quality management. The number of water quality testing laboratories has grown from 2,113 in January 2024 to 2,775 by July 2025, strengthening monitoring efforts.
Financially, the mission has seen significant investments. The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 67,000 crore to the JJM, a substantial increase from the revised estimates of Rs 22,694 crore for 2024-25. Since its inception, funding has grown from Rs 10,000.66 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 70,000 crore in 2023-24, demonstrating the government’s commitment to the program.
Impact of the Jal Jeevan Mission
The JJM has had a transformative impact on rural India, with significant social, health, and economic benefits:
- Time Savings: The World Health Organization estimates that the JJM saves over 5.5 crore hours daily, primarily for women, who traditionally bear the burden of fetching water. This time can now be used for education, income-generating activities, or leisure.
- Health Benefits: Access to safe drinking water is projected to prevent nearly 400,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases and save 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Safe water could also reduce child mortality by 30%, saving approximately 136,000 lives annually.
- Gender Empowerment: By training women in water quality testing and involving them in Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), the mission promotes gender equity and leadership at the grassroots level.
- Community Development: The mission’s focus on community-managed water supply systems fosters local ownership and accountability, ensuring the sustainability of water infrastructure.
Challenges in Implementation
Despite its successes, the Jal Jeevan Mission faces several challenges that have necessitated the extension of its timeline to 2028:
- Under-Utilization of Funds: A Standing Committee on Water Resources (2024-25) report highlighted that only 30.72% of allocated funds for 2024-25 were utilized, indicating inefficiencies in fund disbursement and project execution.
- Slow Progress in Some States: States like Kerala, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Rajasthan have lower coverage rates due to issues such as terrain challenges, geogenic contamination, and lack of dependable groundwater sources.
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M): Only 12 states and UTs have notified O&M policies for rural water infrastructure, leading to concerns about the long-term sustainability of water supply systems.
- Data Authenticity: A parliamentary panel has raised concerns about the reliability of data uploaded to the JJM’s Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), urging the Centre to verify state-reported figures.
- Water Quality Testing: With only 2,160 water quality testing laboratories for approximately 5.86 lakh villages, the capacity for regular testing remains inadequate. Not all labs are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
- Sustainability Concerns: The reliance on groundwater (52%) and surface water (48%) raises concerns about over-extraction and the need for water conservation strategies, such as rainwater harvesting and rejuvenation of traditional water bodies.
Roadmap to 100% Coverage by 2028
The extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission to 2028, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, reflects a strategic approach to address these challenges and achieve universal coverage. Key strategies include:
- Enhanced Funding and Coordination: The Rs 67,000 crore allocation for 2025-26 will support infrastructure development, pipeline expansion, and water quality monitoring. The government plans to expedite fund utilization through better Centre-state coordination.
- Focus on Infrastructure Quality: The mission will prioritize the quality and durability of water supply infrastructure, ensuring regular maintenance through the Jan Bhagidari scheme, which emphasizes public participation.
- Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs): New MoUs with states and UTs will outline responsibilities for sustainable and citizen-centric water service delivery.
- Water Quality Monitoring: The mission aims to increase the number of NABL-accredited water quality testing laboratories and make 2% of state allocations mandatory for water quality monitoring and surveillance.
- Support for Underperforming States: Proactive assistance will be provided to states like Kerala, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan to address region-specific challenges, such as terrain difficulties and water scarcity.
- Water Conservation: The mission will promote schemes for reviving traditional water bodies, desilting, and rainwater harvesting to ensure sustainable water sources.
- Technological Interventions: The use of JJM-IMIS, real-time dashboards, geo-tagging of assets, and sensor-based IoT solutions will enhance monitoring and transparency.
Conclusion
The Jal Jeevan Mission - Har Ghar Jal is a landmark initiative that has brought clean drinking water to millions of rural households, transforming lives and communities across India. With over 80% coverage achieved by 2025, the mission is on track to meet its goal of 100% rural water coverage by 2028. However, challenges such as fund under-utilization, data authenticity, and infrastructure sustainability must be addressed to ensure long-term success. By leveraging increased funding, community participation, and technological innovations, the JJM is poised to make "Har Ghar Jal" a reality, ensuring that every rural household in India has access to safe and reliable drinking water. This ambitious mission not only addresses a critical public health need but also empowers communities, promotes gender equity, and lays the foundation for a water-secure future.
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| Jal Jeevan Mission Booklet PDF | Click Here |
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FAQs: Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
Q. What is the Jal Jeevan Mission?
The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched on August 15, 2019, by the Government of India, aims to provide functional household tap connections (FHTCs) to every rural household, ensuring 55 liters of safe drinking water per person per day by 2028.
Q. What is the goal of "Har Ghar Jal"?
"Har Ghar Jal" seeks to ensure that every rural household in India has access to a reliable, safe, and sustainable piped water supply through individual tap connections.
Q. What is the timeline for achieving 100% coverage?
Initially set for 2024, the mission’s timeline has been extended to 2028 to ensure comprehensive and sustainable coverage.
Q. How many households have been covered as of 2025?
As of July 2025, 15.67 crore rural households (80.97% of 19.36 crore) have tap water connections.
Q. Which states/UTs have achieved 100% coverage?
Eleven states/UTs have achieved 100% coverage: Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Q. What is the budget for JJM in 2025-26?
The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 67,000 crore to support infrastructure development and water quality monitoring.
Q. Does JJM cover schools and Anganwadi centers?
Yes, as of 2025, 9.32 lakh schools (89.62%) and 9.66 lakh Anganwadi centers (85.60%) have been provided with tap water connections.
Q. What role does the community play in JJM?
Communities contribute through cash, kind, or labor (shramdaan) and manage water supply systems via Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs). Over 24.80 lakh women have been trained to test water quality.
Q. How does JJM ensure water quality?
The mission has established 2,775 water quality testing laboratories as of July 2025 and trains women to use Field Testing Kits (FTKs). However, not all labs are NABL-accredited.
Q. What is the Jal Jeevan Survekshan (JJS)?
Launched in 2022, JJS assesses the performance of states and districts in achieving JJM goals, promoting accountability and progress.
Q. What technologies are used in JJM?
The mission uses the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), real-time dashboards, geo-tagging of assets, and sensor-based IoT solutions for monitoring and transparency.