‘Over 12 crore rural households given tap water connections under JJM’

New Delhi: More than 12.58 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

In a written reply, Minister of State of Jal Shakti V Somanna said that significant progress has been made in enhancing access to tap water in rural households since the launch of the mission in August 2019.

“At the start of the mission, only 3.23 crore (16.7 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by states/UTs as of March 3, 2026, under JJM, more than 12.58 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections,” he said.

Thus, as of March 3, 2026, out of around 19.36 crore rural households in the country, around 15.82 crore (81.71 per cent) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes, he added.

The government said it is committed to making provision for safe and potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on a regular and long-term basis to all rural households in the country, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 that seeks to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.

To further the objectives of JJM, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Budget speech for 2025-26 an extension of the JJM until 2028, Somanna said.

States and UTs have also been advised to install community water purification plants (CWPPs), especially in arsenic and fluoride-affected habitations, to provide potable water for drinking and cooking requirements until piped water supply schemes compliant with JJM standards are commissioned, he said.

According to reports from the states, the minister noted that all rural habitations in the country have been provided with safe drinking water, free from arsenic and fluoride contamination, at least through short-term measures.