Cabinet approves extension of Jal Jeevan Mission till December 2028: Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the extension of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) till 2028, with an additional allocation of Rs 1.51 lakh crore.

"The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Ministry of Jal Shakti’s proposal to restructure and reorient the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) from infrastructure creation to a service delivery, supported by drinking water governance and institutional ecosystem for sustainable rural piped potable water supply, " a statement said.

For restructuring JJM focussing on structural reforms, Cabinet has approved enhancement of total outlay to Rs. 8.69 lakh crore with total central assistance of Rs. 3.59 lakh crore enhancing from Rs. 2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20 i.e. additional central share of Rs. 1.51 lakh crore, the statement said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2025-26 had announced extension of the JJM till 2028 as several states requested to the Centre grant more funds and extend the timeline for it's implementation.

The Jal Shakti Ministry sought an allocation of Rs 2.79 lakh crore for the JJM for the period till 2028. However, the Ministry of Finance rejected the demand amid concerns about irregularities in the implementation of the rural tap water scheme.

Launched in August 2019, the JJM aimed to tap water connection with 55 litres per capita per day drinking water to all rural households in the country by 2024.

However, the scheme implementation was hit by corruption and irregularities in many states. Even the PM Modi directed Jal Shakti Ministry to take stern action against guilty for corrupt practices.

Minister of State of Jal Shakti V Somanna on Monday informed Rajya Sabha said that more than 12.58 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

When the scheme was launched in August 2019 only 3.23 crore (16.7 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. As on March 3, 2026, under JJM, more than 12.58 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections," he said in his written reply in the Upper House.

Thus, as of March 3, 2026, out of around 19.36 crore rural households in the country, around 15.82 crore (81.71 per cent) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes, he added.