Presenting her maiden Union Budget on Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will introduce ‘Har Ghar Jal’ to provide potable water to all rural houses by 2024.
Sitharaman told Parliament that the newly-constituted Jal Shakti Ministry will work with the states to ensure potable water for all rural houses by 2024 under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’.
The minister said ensuring India’s water security and providing access to safe drinking water to all Indians was a priority for the Narendra Modi government.
The announcement came just days after the Jal Shakti Ministry launched the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ to conserve water. The move came amidst rising water shortage bring reported from several parts of the country.
The ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ will emphasize on five aspects, i.e. water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies, reuse of water and recharging of structures, watershed development and intensive afforestation.
The Finance Minister also said that every single rural family will have electricity and clean cooking facility by 2022.
“By 2022, the 75th year of independence, I assure that every single rural family except those who are unwilling to take the connection will have electricity and a clean cooking facility,” she said in her Budget speech.
Sitharaman said that the government keeps “Antodaya” (development of all) at the centre of all its programmes. “At the centre of everything, we keep the village, poor and farmer. The Prime Minister’s two mega initiatives Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya Yojna (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana ) has transformed the life of every rural family dramatically improving their ease of living,” she said.
