Empowering Local Governance for Sustainable Rural Water Supply

13 Mar 2026 CW Team

Under JJM, the department issues completion certificates after tap connections are provided to all rural households and marks the village as Har Ghar Jal on the JJM information management system. The Gram Panchayat then certifies the village in a gram sabha and supporting records and a short video are uploaded to the dashboard. As reported by states, of around 0.274 million (mn) villages reported as Har Ghar Jal, around 0.181 million (mn) have been certified by Gram Sabhas.

Community contribution norms specify five per cent for north eastern, difficult, forested, water stressed and villages with more than 50 per cent SC or ST population and ten per cent for other villages. While preparing village action plans the ministry has advised dovetailing of resources from Finance Commission tied grants, JJM, Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, local area development funds, district mineral funds, corporate social responsibility and community contributions. The aim is that communities will align resources to secure long term water security.

The Nal Jal Mitra Programme (NJMP) has been launched with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to develop local operators able to carry out repairs and preventive maintenance as masons, plumbers, fitters, electricians and pump operators. For operational sustainability, states have been advised to adopt operation and maintenance policies including handover to Panchayats, user charges and financing for energy bills, skilling and deployment of local persons for water quality surveillance. The minister of state for Jal Shakti V. Somanna provided this information in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has aligned the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) with the 73rd Amendment to strengthen village level planning and community ownership of water supply. Gram Panchayats, village water and sanitation committees and Pani Samitis are to plan, implement, manage and maintain piped water systems, with gram sabha processes formalising handover and oversight. Implementation support agencies including non government organisations, community based organisations and self help groups have been empanelled to train local committees and promote women participation. Under JJM, the department issues completion certificates after tap connections are provided to all rural households and marks the village as Har Ghar Jal on the JJM information management system. The Gram Panchayat then certifies the village in a gram sabha and supporting records and a short video are uploaded to the dashboard. As reported by states, of around 0.274 million (mn) villages reported as Har Ghar Jal, around 0.181 million (mn) have been certified by Gram Sabhas. Community contribution norms specify five per cent for north eastern, difficult, forested, water stressed and villages with more than 50 per cent SC or ST population and ten per cent for other villages. While preparing village action plans the ministry has advised dovetailing of resources from Finance Commission tied grants, JJM, Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, local area development funds, district mineral funds, corporate social responsibility and community contributions. The aim is that communities will align resources to secure long term water security. The Nal Jal Mitra Programme (NJMP) has been launched with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to develop local operators able to carry out repairs and preventive maintenance as masons, plumbers, fitters, electricians and pump operators. For operational sustainability, states have been advised to adopt operation and maintenance policies including handover to Panchayats, user charges and financing for energy bills, skilling and deployment of local persons for water quality surveillance. The minister of state for Jal Shakti V. Somanna provided this information in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

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