Government Mandates Integrated Planning for Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0

The Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Rural Development issued joint operational guidelines directing states to adopt 'integrated planning' for Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0. Secretaries from both departments stressed that village-level water supply infrastructure must be converged with rural employment and watershed development funds to ensure long-term source sustainability.

Launched in 2019, the original Jal Jeevan Mission aimed to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household by offering 55 liters of water per capita per day. Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 shifts focus from infrastructure creation to long-term sustainability, graywater management, and source recharge, addressing critical vulnerabilities where tap connections became non-functional due to depleting local groundwater tables.

Under the new framework, funds from MGNREGS and the 15th Finance Commission grants to Rural Local Bodies must be prioritized for rainwater harvesting, check-dam construction, and pond desiltation around target water sources. Over 15 crore rural households have received tap water connections to date, representing a coverage increase from 17% in 2019 to over 78%.

This story holds prime importance for GS Paper 2 (Government Policies & Interventions) and GS Paper 3 (Water Resources). Aspirants should note key parameters like daily per capita supply targets (55 liters), funding share mechanisms between Centre and States (90:10 for NE/Himalayan states, 50:50 for others), and the role of Gram Panchayats as Village Water and Sanitation Committees.