New Delhi, March 10 The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission up to December 2028, with an enhanced outlay of ₹8.7 lakh crore for the rural drinking water supply project. This project will now shift its focus from infrastructure creation to service delivery.
The project, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through tap connections to all households in rural India.
The Cabinet decision shifts the focus from solely infrastructure creation to citizen-centric service delivery, supported by strong local governance and digital monitoring, PM Modi said on X.
"This move will strengthen water security, improve health outcomes, and empower rural communities, especially our women," he said.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision at a press conference.
"The Cabinet approved the Ministry of Jal Shakti's proposal to restructure and reorient the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) from infrastructure creation to service delivery, supported by drinking water governance and an institutional ecosystem for sustainable rural piped potable water supply," he said.
To restructure JJM, focusing on structural reforms, the Cabinet has approved an enhancement of the total outlay to ₹8.69 lakh crore, with a total central assistance of ₹3.59 lakh crore, compared to the ₹2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20.
A uniform national digital framework called "Sujalam Bharat" will be established, under which every village will be assigned a unique Sujal Gaon or Service Area ID, digitally mapping the complete drinking water supply system from source to tap.
According to an official statement, a Gram Panchayat will certify the completion of works and declare itself "Har Ghar Jal" only upon confirmation that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms have been established by the state government.
Recognising that community ownership and participation are critical for operational efficiency and source sustainability, the programme will promote "Jal Utsav" as an annual, community-led maintenance and review event, integrating local cultural ethos while reinforcing collective responsibility for a drinking-water-secure future.
From the baseline of 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural households with tap water connections in 2019, so far, more than 12.56 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM, the statement said.
Currently, out of the 19.36 crore rural households identified by the States/UTs in the country, around 15.80 crore (81.61 per cent) households are reported to have tap water connections as of now.
JJM 2.0 will facilitate the certification of all gram panchayats as 'Har Ghar Jal', by providing tap water connection to all the 19.36 crore rural households across the country by December 2028, while ensuring adherence to timelines, scheme sustainability, and delivery of citizen-centric water services through Separate MoUs with state/UTs.
The statement said that JJM 2.0 also fosters the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 with assured 24×7 rural drinking water supply by shifting from an infrastructure-centric approach to a citizen-centric utility-based service delivery approach through structural reforms.