Cabinet clears Jal Jeevan 2.0 with bigger role for Panchayats
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a major overhaul and extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission. It shifts the programme’s focus from merely building rural water infrastructure to ensuring reliable and accountable service delivery, while giving a larger operational role to village institutions such as gram panchayats.Under the revamped Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0, the programme will continue until December 2028 with a significantly higher financial commitment and a governance framework aimed at strengthening community participation in rural drinking water management. The Cabinet cleared a revised total outlay of Rs 8.69 lakh crore, including central assistance of Rs 3.59 lakh crore. This represents an additional central allocation of Rs 1.51 lakh crore over the Rs 2.08 lakh crore approved when the mission was first launched in 2019.
The redesigned programme marks a shift from infrastructure expansion toward the long-term sustainability of water services. A key element of the reform is a stronger institutional role for gram panchayats and village water and sanitation committees in planning, commissioning and maintaining rural water supply systems, the government said in a statement.
To support this transition, the government plans to introduce a nationwide digital governance platform called “Sujalam Bharat”. Under this system, each village will be assigned a unique “Sujal Gaon” or service area identification number, digitally mapping the entire drinking water supply chain from source to household tap.
Local bodies will also have a formal role in certifying project completion through a process called “Jal Arpan”. A gram panchayat can declare itself as having achieved universal tap water access only after verifying that adequate operation and maintenance systems are in place.
Jal Utsav aimed to encourage community participation
The programme will further encourage community participation through an annual “Jal Utsav”, a locally led event focused on reviewing water infrastructure, undertaking maintenance activities and promoting awareness around sustainable water management.
Since its launch, the mission has dramatically expanded rural tap water coverage. In 2019, only 3.23 crore rural households—about 17%—had tap water connections. The programme has since added more than 12.5 crore new connections, taking coverage to around 15.8 crore households, or about 81.6% of the 19.36 crore rural households identified across states and union territories.
Beyond infrastructure gains, several studies suggest wider social benefits. Research by financial institutions and global agencies indicates that improved access to household tap water has significantly reduced the burden on women, improved public health outcomes and created employment opportunities in rural areas.
The government expects JJM 2.0 to ensure tap water access to all rural households by 2028 while moving toward a utility-style model of delivering reliable and sustainable drinking water services.
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