Centre emphasises improved implementation as Jal Jeevan Mission extended till 2028

PTI, April 15, 2026, New Delhi : The Ministry of Jal Shakti on Wednesday said the focus should now be on proper functioning, long-term sustainability and improved service delivery under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which has been extended till December 2028.

It also called for stronger monitoring at the district level to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation in rural areas.

The message was conveyed during the 7th District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad organised by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS).

The meeting brought together senior officials and district administrators to review progress and accelerate key rural water and sanitation programmes.

The virtual meeting was chaired by DDWS Secretary Ashok K K Meena. It reviewed the progress of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) Phase II, and also provided a platform for districts to share best practices.

Meena said the platform is important for achieving the goal of making safe drinking water and sanitation a way of life in villages.

He stressed that JJM is now moving towards ensuring water supply from source to tap, with a focus on functionality and community participation.

He also highlighted the need to hand over completed water supply schemes to gram panchayats in a timely manner and involve communities in assessing service quality through "Jal Seva Aankalan".

Meena asked district collectors to hold regular meetings of District Water and Sanitation Missions (DWSMs), ensure effective utilisation of funds, adopt operation and maintenance (O&M) policies, and make better use of digital tools.

He also referred to initiatives such as "Jal Arpan" for handing over completed assets to gram panchayats after quality checks, and digital tools such as Sujala Gaon ID and the Sujalam Bharat App for maintaining records of water infrastructure.

He urged faster certification of "Har Ghar Jal" and adherence to O&M norms.

Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission, said updated JJM guidelines have been issued and will be made available on dashboards for monitoring and reference.

Officials said a detailed presentation was made on Jal Seva Aankalan and district improvement plans, outlining how data will be collected and used from the village to the district level.

Ankita Chakravarty, Deputy Secretary, National Jal Jeevan Mission, said villages should begin data entry within four weeks to enable the timely preparation of improvement plans.

She also asked districts with over 90 per cent coverage to expedite technical reviews.

District officials from Tehri Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Koderma (Jharkhand), Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir), Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh) and Vijayapura (Karnataka) shared their experiences, including efforts in source sustainability, waste management, community participation and technology-based monitoring.

More than 250 officials from states, Union Territories and other stakeholders participated in the meeting.