Govt proposes Rs 11,500 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission

“Now, more needs to be done towards liquid and grey water management. Focus would also be on Solid waste collection, source segregation and processing,” said the Prime Minister

The Union Budget 2020-21 has proposed to earmark Rs 11500 crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally announced on the occasion of Independence Day last year.

The government also proposed to allocate Rs 12300 crore for another pet project of Prime Minister – the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).

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The Modi government already approved allocation of Rs 3.60 lakh crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission over the next five years. The mission is aimed at providing piped water supply to all rural households by 2024. The Government had earmarked Rs 10001 crore for the mission in 2019-20. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday proposed to raise the allocation to Rs 11500 crore for 2020-21.

“This scheme also places emphasis on augmenting local water sources, recharging existing sources and will promote water harvesting and desalination. Cities with population of over 1 million will be encouraged to meet this objective during the current year itself,” Finance Minister said, presenting the Union Budget to the Lok Sabha.

She reaffirmed Modi government's commitment to sustain the success achieved by villages in attaining the Open Defecation Free (ODF) status. “The Government is committed to ODF Plus in order to sustain ODF behaviour and to ensure that no one is left behind,” she said.