Ranchi, June 25: At a high-level virtual meeting held on Wednesday, Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari reviewed the current status of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, focusing on achieving the target of providing tap water to every rural household.
During the session, she addressed various challenges hampering the mission and urged all district commissioners (DCs) to provide active leadership to ensure smooth execution.
Tiwari directed DCs to maintain regular coordination with village heads and conduct periodic meetings to gather ground-level feedback. She emphasized that incomplete work accompanied by full payment should be treated seriously, thoroughly investigated, and followed by appropriate action.
To strengthen field-level monitoring, the Chief Secretary announced that two dedicated engineers would be assigned to each district under the DC’s supervision. These engineers will form a technical cell and be assigned daily tasks with mandatory reporting. DCs were instructed to inspect Jal Jeevan Mission works during field visits and resolve any issues on the spot when possible.
Tiwari highlighted that implementation agencies under the mission are contractually responsible for maintenance for a period of five years. She noted that any delays in resolving minor issues are unacceptable and warned that agencies failing to meet obligations would be reported and dealt with at the headquarters level. Administrative bottlenecks are to be handled on priority by the DCs under their direct leadership. She also directed that completed projects be formally handed over to village committees and that incomplete ones be expedited.
Launched on August 15, 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to ensure tap water supply to every rural household, school, and Anganwadi centre by December 2028. As of now, 97,535 schemes have been initiated in Jharkhand, with 56,332 already completed. Out of these, 24,781 have been handed over to village-level committees. The state has 29,398 villages, and 6,963 of them have been fully connected with tap water supply. Of the 62,54,059 rural households in Jharkhand, 34,42,332 currently receive piped water under the mission.
