New Delhi, March 26 By extending the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM 2.0) until December 2028 with an enhanced budget, the government is emphasizing structural reforms, continuous public participation, operational and financial sustainability, and citizen-centric water quality governance, a senior official from the Ministry of Jal Shakti said on Thursday.
Addressing a parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka, JJM director Hari Narayanan Murugan said that the extended phase of the mission, approved by the Union Cabinet on March 10, will be a "paradigm shift".
The mission aims to ensure that every rural water supply scheme remains fully functional for the next 30 years through strengthened institutional mechanisms and clear roles at all levels, he said.
Murugan said that JJM 2.0 marks a shift from an infrastructure-driven approach to an operation and maintenance-based model with greater involvement of gram panchayats, district-level technical units, and a professional utility-based framework.
The program will be implemented through institutional structures including the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), State Water and Sanitation Missions (SWSM), and District Water and Sanitation Missions (DWSM) and Jal Arpan, ensuring last-mile delivery and access to safe and clean drinking water in a transparent and sustainable ecosystem, he added.
He said that the mission is built on five key pillars – strong political will, adequate public funding, partnerships, people's participation, and convergence with gram panchayats.
The mission, initially launched with a budget of around USD 55 billion, has now been scaled up to nearly USD 92 billion, while rural tap water coverage has increased from 17 per cent in 2019 to about 82 per cent, covering over 15 crore households, he added.
The high-level delegation from Sri Lanka is on a week-long study tour to India. As part of the visit, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti organized a detailed presentation on Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen for the delegation.
Ashok KK Meena, Secretary, DDWS, highlighted that central and state governments implement large national programs for the benefit of local bodies, particularly Gram Panchayats, to deliver essential services at the grassroots level.
During the interaction, the Sri Lankan delegates flagged challenges such as the presence of heavy metals, including mercury contaminants, in water bodies and the high cost of water treatment.
They noted that treated water in Sri Lanka is often used for multiple purposes, increasing costs, and called for collaboration on cost-effective technologies for heavy metal removal and sustainable water management solutions, according to an official statement.
