Over 15 crore rural households have tap water under JJM: Patil

Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on Wednesday said more than 15 crore rural households in the country are now receiving tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Addressing the Jal Mahotsav 2026 programme, Patil said the mission launched in 2019 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed not only to provide tap water but also to usher in a new era of health, dignity and convenience in rural India.
“There was a time when the responsibility of fetching water in villages mainly rested on women and children. Nearly nine crore women had to travel long distances daily to bring water, spending around 5.5 crore hours every day carrying heavy loads,” he said.
“Today, they have been freed from this burden. With the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, the risk of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and malaria has also reduced,” the minister added.
Patil said more than 89% of schools and over 85% of anganwadi centres in rural areas have now been provided with tap water for children.
Patil said under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, the Union Cabinet, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved a grant of Rs 1.51 lakh crore.