New Delhi: Steel can play a key role in achieving the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Wednesday.
Announced in the Union Budget, the Jal Jeevan Mission envisages to provide potable water to every rural household by 2024.
In a letter to Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Pradhan highlighted the role steel can play in Jal Jeevan Mission, and called for convergence between the two ministries for achieving the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission.
Steel minister Pradhan outlined various properties of the metal like corrosion resistance, greater life span, less replacement cost etc, which makes it an ideal material for transportation of potable as well as industrial water.
He also noted the benefits of usage of steel in water sector in terms of reducing leakages and thus contamination, paving way for greater control over water borne diseases.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for water conservation and has appealed to civil society to come together for Jan Shakti se Jal Shakti campaign.
"The vision of Jal Jeevan Mission is to ensure Har Ghar Jal (potable water to every household) to every rural household by 2024. I have confidence in the leadership of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to achieve this goal," Pradhan, who also holds portfolio of Petroleum & Natural Gas, said in the letter.
The government's aim is to provide clean and piped drinking water to every household in the country. The Jal Shakti Ministry has been earmarked Rs 28,261.59 crore in the budget 2019-20.