JJM is a big movement of decentralization: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is a big movement of “decentralization” as its main base is “public participation.”

“The vision of Jal Jeevan Mission is not only to make water accessible to the people. This is a village-driven and women-driven movement. This is also a big movement of decentralization. The policies of the government become successful only with citizens participation,” the PM said while addressing the gram panchayats and pani samitis, and village water and sanitation committees (VWSC) on JJM virtually on Saturday on the occasion of 152nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

JJM, a Centrally sponsored scheme under the Jal Shakti Ministry, envisions to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households in rural India by 2024.

“Gandhi ji used to say that the real meaning of ‘Gram Swaraj’ is to be full of self-confidence. That’s why it has been my constant effort that this thinking of Gram Swaraj should move forward towards accomplishments. JJM and paani samitis are a key example of the Government’s commitment to Gram Swaraj,” he said.

The PM said after several decades of independence, only three crore households in the country had access to tap water but with the launch of JJM in 2019, five crore households have been connected with water connections.

“Today, water is reaching every household to bout 1.25 lakh villages in about 80 districts of the country. In the Aspirational districts the number of tap connections have increased from 31 lakh to 1.16 crore,” Modi said.

He appealed to every citizen of the country who lives in an abundance of water, to make more efforts to save water by changing their habits too.

Referring to popular conceptions of the problem of water, the Prime Minister talked of movies, stories, poems that tell in detail how the women and children of the village walked miles to fetch water.

“Nal Se Jal” scheme has reduced the difficulties of our mothers and sisters, he claimed.

The Prime Minister enumerated measures to improve the health and safety of the daughters of the country.

He said that measures like providing toilets in every home and school, affordable sanitary pads, nutrition support during pregnancy and immunisation have strengthened the ‘MatraShakti’ (woman power) .

The PM also informed that there has been 13 times increase in the last seven years in support to women under ‘National Livelihood Mission’ as compared to the five preceding years to 2014.

Earlier, the PM had launched the JJM App for improving awareness among stakeholders and for greater transparency and accountability of schemes under the mission. He also launched ‘Rashtriya Jal Jeevan Kosh’, where any individual, institution, corporation, or philanthropist, be it in India or abroad, can contribute to help provide tap water connection in every rural household, school, Anganwadi centre, ashram shala, and other public institutions.

Modi also interacted with the ‘pani samitis’.

Union Minister Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State for Jal Shakti- Prahlad Singh Patel and Bishweswar Tudu, Chief Ministers and Ministers from various states also attended the programme virtually.

UNI