Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav on Thursday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring not just tap water access for every household but also a continuous, sustainable and high-quality supply in the coming years.
“The policy for the operation and maintenance of rural tap water schemes should be designed in such a way that every village has a permanent arrangement for clean drinking water, ensuring that no family faces difficulties in accessing it,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a meeting at Samatva Bhawan.
Dr. Yadav stressed that rural water supply projects should go beyond construction and must include a robust system for long-term operation and maintenance. He also underlined the importance of community participation, encouraging rural communities to take ownership of the schemes.
Highlighting the achievements under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the CM said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Jal Jeevan Mission has transformed the face of rural India, and Madhya Pradesh has achieved remarkable progress in this direction.”
During the meeting, it was decided that the draft policy titled ‘Rural Tap Water Scheme Operation, Maintenance and Management Policy’, prepared by the Public Health Engineering Department, will be implemented for three years after approval. The policy aims to ensure smooth functioning of single-village water supply schemes in line with group water supply models.
As per the provisions, Gram Panchayats will continue to operate rural schemes, while maintenance will be handled by contracted agencies under the Public Health Engineering Department.
Principal Secretary, Public Health Engineering, Shri P. Narahari informed that in August 2019, only 12.11% (13.53 lakh) of rural families had access to tap water. The coverage has now risen to 70.41% (78.64 lakh families). The target is to reach 1.1169 crore families by March 2027.
Out of 147 group water supply schemes, 52 have been completed, covering 4,285 villages, while the remaining 95 are under progress.
The draft policy, Narahari added, has been prepared after consultations with the Panchayat & Rural Development Department and other stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability.
The meeting was attended by Panchayat & Rural Development Minister Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Public Health Engineering Minister Smt. Sampatiya Uikey, Chief Secretary Shri Anurag Jain, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Shri Neeraj Mandloi, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shri Manish Rastogi, Principal Secretary Panchayat & Rural Development Smt. Deepali Rastogi, and Managing Director Jal Nigam Shri K.V.S. Chaudhary Kolasani, along with other senior officials.