After Signing reformed linked MoU, 5 States got funds under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
Published: Apr 01, 2026
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, APR 01, 2026: THE Union Cabinet on 10 March 2026 approved Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0, marking the restructuring and reorientation of the mission from an infrastructure-centric approach to a service delivery model. This transformation is supported by strengthened drinking water governance and an institutional ecosystem to ensure sustainable rural piped potable water supply.
As part of this restructuring, the Cabinet has approved an enhancement of the total outlay to Rs.8.69 lakh crore, with total central assistance of Rs.3.59 lakh crore, increased from Rs.2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20, reflecting an additional central share of Rs.1.51 lakh crore. The reoriented mission focuses on structural reforms aimed at ensuring reliable, safe, and sustainable drinking water services.
In line with the reforms approved by the Cabinet; State/UTs have started signing reform-linked Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with the National Jal Jeevan Mission, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti and Government of India. These MoUs formalise their commitment towards key reforms, including service delivery standards, sustainability measures, and community-led management of water supply systems. So far, 12 States have signed MoUs under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
On 13 March the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, C. R. Patil, chaired a meeting with Ministers of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED)/Rural Water Supply (RWS) and Panchayati Raj Departments from State/UTs to discuss the implementation roadmap of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
While addressing the meeting, he urged to ensure timely completion of schemes and strengthen on-ground monitoring. He emphasised that as water is a State subject, the success of the Mission depends on the accountability of State Governments in delivering reliable tap water supply to rural households.
Taking forward these efforts, the Union Minister e-released the JJM 2.0 Operational Guidelines on 22 March during the culmination of Jal Mahotsav 2026.
Accordingly, funds have been released to five States, namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh for the financial year 2025-26, following the fulfillment of mandatory compliance conditions.
A total amount of Rs.1,561.53 crore has been released. Uttar Pradesh has been released Rs.792.93 crore, Chhattisgarh Rs.536.53 crore, Madhya Pradesh Rs.154.02 crore, Odisha Rs.65.31 crore and Maharashtra Rs.12.74 crore.
To ensure transparency, accountability and improved service delivery, a system of structured validations has been put in place, which States are required to fulfill prior to the release of funds. These include:
- State has signed MoU for implementation of JJM 2.0
- Scheme Validation: Schemes having validation against the Sujalam Bharat GIS-linked Asset Registry.
- Technical Compliance: Certification of compliance with CPHEEO design norms by State Government, and technical advisory issued by NJJM.
- Proper financial reconciliation of expenditure incurred on the schemes.
As funds have been released against the approved schemes, their timely completion will be closely monitored to ensure implementation in a time-bound manner. This is supported by a comprehensive review mechanism, under which the Ministry assesses financial utilisation, technical compliance and data validation prior to the release of funds. Being implemented for the first time, this approach introduces a performance-based and compliance-linked mechanism to strengthen accountability and ensure effective outcomes.
Background
To enable every rural household in the country to have assured potable water, the Government of India, in partnership with States, has been implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal since August 2019. The mission aims to provide adequate quantity of prescribed quality drinking water on a regular and long-term basis through functional household tap connections.
At the start of the Mission, only 3.23 crore (16.7%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. Since then, significant progress has been made. As per the latest data reported by States and UTs, over 12.59 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. As a result, out of around 19.36 crore rural households in the country, about 15.83 crore (around 81.8%) households now have tap water supply in their homes.
With the shift towards a service delivery-oriented approach under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, there is an increased focus on ensuring accountability, transparency, effective monitoring and grievance redressal across rural water supply systems. In this context, a Gram Panchayat will be declared as "Har Ghar Jal" only after confirming that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms have been established by the State/UT Governments.
Recognising the importance of community ownership and participation, the programme will promote "Jal Utsav" as an annual, community-led initiative for maintenance and review. It will be organised as a three-tier campaign, comprising Jal Mahotsav at the national level, Rajya Jal Utsav or Nadi Utsav at the State level, and Lok Jal Utsav at the Gram Panchayat level, integrating the local cultural significance of water and reinforcing collective responsibility for a water-secure future.
Earlier, challenges such as limited real-time monitoring, gaps in asset tracking, delays in grievance redressal and fragmented data systems highlighted the need for a robust digital and feedback-based mechanism. To address these challenges under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, a uniform national digital framework, namely "Sujalam Bharat", has been instituted, under which every village is assigned a unique Sujal Gaon or Service Area ID, enabling end-to-end digital mapping and real-time tracking of drinking water supply systems from source to tap. As on date, 1,77,156 Sujal Gaon IDs (service area) linked to 1,13,849 Sujalam Bharat IDs (water supply scheme id) have been generated.
In addition, Jal Seva Aankalan will be conducted at the Gram Panchayat level to capture citizen feedback on service delivery and reflect these outcomes through the Meri Panchayat application, thereby strengthening grievance redressal and improving service delivery outcomes. To further ensure transparency and accountability, Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) will be involved in the commissioning and formal handover of schemes through the "Jal Arpan" process.
JJM 2.0 aims to declare all Gram Panchayats as "Har Ghar Jal" by ensuring tap water connections to all 19.36 crore rural households across the country by December 2028. This will be achieved through adherence to defined timelines, focus on sustainability of schemes and delivery of citizen-centric water services, supported by separate reform-linked MoUs with State/UTs.
Through these structural reforms, JJM 2.0 aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 by moving towards a citizen-centric, utility-based service delivery system that ensures every rural household has access to drinking water in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality on a regular basis. This is supported by strengthened community participation (Jan Bhagidari) and a focus on sustainable operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems, thereby enhancing living standards and contributing to long-term water security.
