66% schools in country have tap water connection: Government

A total 66 per cent of schools and 60 per cent anganwadi centres in the country have received tap water supply under the centrally-sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

6.85 lakh (66 per cent) schools, 6.80 lakh (60 per cent) anganwadi centres (AWCs) and 2.36 lakh (69 per cent) Gram Panchayats and Community Healthcare Centres (CHCs) in villages across the country have been provided with tap water under the Mission, the Jal Shakti Ministry said in a statement.

As many as nine states – Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu, and one union territory – Andaman & Nicobar Islands, have successfully provided 100 per cent tap water connection to all schools and anganwadi centres.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 29, 2020, appealed to all states and union territories to a provide tap water connection to every school and anganwadi centre on mission mode.

The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched on August 15, 2019, aims at providing potable tap water connections to each individual household and school by 2024. When the scheme was launched, only 3.23 crore rural households out of 18.98 crore households in the country, had a tap water connection.

Due to the aggressive implementation of JJM, a total 7.8 crore (41.14 per cent) households in the country have so far gotten tap water supply.

Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100 per cent tap water connection in rural households. At present every rural household has a tap water connection in 74 districts and about 1.04 lakh villages, the Ministry said.