JAL JEEVAN MISSION

• Recently, the Prime Minister launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) mobile application on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti (2nd October).
• The PM also released the progress report of the JJM and a manual for the utilisation of the 15th Finance Commission grant for rural local bodies.

Important points:

• The mobile application will provide details of water infrastructure, an Aadhaar-verified data set of beneficiaries, and water quality and contamination-related information for each village.
• The application aims to improve awareness among stakeholders and for greater transparency and accountability of schemes under the Jal Jeevan mission.
• The Jal Shakti ministry has been maintaining a JJM dashboard to show the coverage of tap water connections across states.
• The water quality management information system provides details of water samples received and tested across labs and states. The mobile app will bring all this data under one umbrella.

Jal Jeevan Mission:

• Launched in 2019, it envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
• JJM looks to create a janandolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
• It comes under Jal Shakti Ministry
• The mission ensures functionality of existing water supply systems and water connections; water quality monitoring and testing as well as sustainable agriculture.
• It also ensures conjunctive use of conserved water; drinking water source augmentation, drinking water supply system, grey water treatment and its reuse.
• JJM focuses on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level.
• Creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of household wastewater for reuse, is undertaken in convergence with other government programmes/schemes.
• The Mission is based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.

Implementation:

• PaaniSamitis plan, implement, manage, operate and maintain village water supply systems.
• These consist of 10-15 members, with at least 50% women members and other members from Self-Help Groups, Accredited Social and Health Workers, Anganwadi teachers, etc.
• The committees prepare a one-time village action plan, merging all available village resources. The plan is approved in a Gram Sabh before implementation.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT