The Central government has increased the grant-in-aid to Maharashtra under Jal Jeevan Mission to Rs 7,064.41 crore in FY22, which was Rs 1,828.92 crore in FY21.
Union Minister, Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, while approving this four-fold increase in allocation, assured full assistance to the state for making provision of tap water supply in every rural home by 2024.
At the beginning of the Mission in 2019, out of a total of 19.20 crore rural households in the country, only 3.23 crore (17 percent) had tap water supply. During the last 21 months, despite COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission, has been implemented with speed and 4.27 crore households have been provided with piped water connections.
With this increase in coverage by 22 percent, presently 7.51 crore (39.12 percent) rural households across the country have tap water supply. Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100 percent household tap connection in rural areas and has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’. At present, in 62 districts and more than 92,000 villages, every household has tap water supply.
In Maharashtra, out of a total of 142 lakh rural households, 91.30 lakh households (64.14 percent) have been provided with tap water connections. In FY22, the state has planned to provide tap water connections to 27.45 lakh households, 18.72 lakh tap water connections in FY23 and 5.14 lakh tap connections in FY24 to achieve tap water supply for every rural household.
The water supply work to provide tap water connection has not yet started in 29,417 villages in Maharashtra.
In 2020-21, Rs 1,828.92 crore Central grant was allocated to the state however it could not draw Rs 1,371.69 crore and surrendered this grant meant for tap water supply in rural areas of the state.
In FY22 with four-fold increase in Central allocation (Rs 7,064.41 crore), unspent balance of Rs 268.99 crore and shortfall in state matching share of Rs 149.43 crore in FY21, and matching state share in FY22, the state has an assured availability of Rs 14,547.24 crore under Jal Jeevan Mission for water supply work in FY22. Thus, there is no shortage of fund for water supply.
In 2021-22, Rs 2,584 crore have been allocated to Maharashtra as 15th FC tied grant for water & sanitation to rural local bodies/PRIs. There is an assured funding of Rs 13,628 crore for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26.
In Maharashtra 65,301 schools (76 percent) and 60,082 anganwadi centres (66 percent) are provided with tap water connections. The Central government has asked the state to ensure that in the next few months, provision of safe tap water is made in all remaining schools, ashramshalas and anganwadi centres for better health, improved sanitation and hygiene of children.
Out of 177 district and sub-divisional laboratories, only 10 are NABL accredited. So far Maharashtra has 25,926 Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSCs) or Pani Samitis in 40,596 villages.
In FY21, the state had planned to engage 139 NGOs as Implementing State Agencies (ISAs) but could not complete the process. In FY22, the state plans to engage 104 ISAs each supporting about 300 villages.
The total budget for Jal Jeevan Mission in 2021-22 is Rs 50,011 crore.
With the state’s own resources and Rs 26,940 crore as 15th Finance Commission tied grant for water and sanitation to RLBs/ PRIs, in FY22, more than Rs one lakh crore are being invested in rural drinking water supply sector. This is creating new employment opportunities in villages and boosting rural economy.