Meet on challenges in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission to be held

New Delhi: A day-long conference will be held in Bengaluru on Saturday for discussing specific issues and challenges in the states/union territories, regarding the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen with ministers from six states and two UTs.

Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will chair this regional conference of ministers to review the progress made under both the schemes. The conference will be held at the Vidhana Soudha at Bengaluru, a release from the Ministry of Jal Shakti said.

The meeting will be attended by the state ministers along with senior officers from the rural water supply and sanitation departments. During the conference, the states/UTs will be given an opportunity to put forward their expectations from the ministry, so that timely support is provided in expediting programme implementation.

Shekhawat said: "Prime Minister accords highest priority to women empowerment and healthcare as he has launched two flagship programmes which focus on water and sanitation thereby ensuring 'ease of living' especially for women and young girls.

"Since the last seven years, the government has been 'working with speed and scale,' to ensure provision of 100 per cent tap water connectivity and safe sanitation facilities in every rural household making sure 'no one is left out' no matter which socio-economic strata they come from."

'Har Ghar Jal' is a flagship programme of the government, being implemented by the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The JJM aims to provide tap water connection to every rural household in the country by 2024.

Telangana and Puducherry achieved 100 per cent coverage in 2021. Madhya Pradesh plans to provide tap water connection to all rural households by 2023 followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu in 2024.

The Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM(G)) is another flagship programme being implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. All the Gram Panchayats declared themselves Open Defecation Free on October 2, 2019. Under SBM(G) Phase II, the focus is on maintaining ODF status and working towards solid and liquid waste management so that the villages move from ODF to ODF Plus, the release added.

The regional conference will see discussions on ODF sustainability, biodegradable and plastic waste management, greywater management, faecal sludge management apart from strengthening modalities for convergence and stepping up the implementation of ODF plus elements of SBM(G) Phase II.

Subject matter experts and senior government officials will be making presentations on various practices that have effectively helped manage SLWM in rural areas. Participating states have done noticeable work in delivering sanitation services in villages. The states plan to make their villages ODF plus by 2024.

"Reaffirming its commitment towards public health and well-being of the people living in rural areas, in the Union Budget 2022, fund allocation for JJM has been increased from Rs 45,000 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 60,000 crore in 2022-23. For SBM(G), Rs 7,192 crore have been allocated in the budget for the year 2022-23," the release added. (IANS)