Centre pushes for people’s participation in Jal Jeevan Mission in Jammu and Kashmir

Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 13

The Centre has pushed for the democratisation of implementation of its flagship project of providing piped water to every rural household under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), especially in the border states and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir.

The democratisation would be through peoples’ participation in the implementation of the project.

The JJM—a centrally sponsored project—aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024.

It was announced on Independence Day last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The border states and UTs, especially Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh have asked the Centre to complete the project under JJM by 2022, ahead of the national deadline of 2024.

The Centre, however, has laid thrust on peoples’ participation in JJM, and in the efforts to boost the country’s water resource capacity and its management.

Sources said that Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu informed Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during a discussion with him, through video conference on last Friday, on the UT’s focus on JJM implementation through “village plans”.

Out of 6,877 villages, action plans for 1,800 villages have been prepared.

Shekhawat, who initiated the discussion, laid focus on the preparation of “Village Action Plans” as well as constituting “Village Water and Sanitation Committee” (VWSC) of Gram Panchayat” with minimum 50 per cent women members.

Besides the VWSC having stipulated strength of women members, the JJM guidelines lay down the condition of 10–15 members comprising of elected members of Panchayat up to 25% of the composition.

The remaining 25 per cent of the members may consist of representatives of weaker sections of the village proportional to their population.

The committee will be tasked with planning, designing, implementing and operating, and maintaining of in water supply infrastructure within the village concerned.

All villages have to prepare Village VAP which essentially will comprise of development and augmentation of drinking water sources, water supply, grey-water management and operation and maintenance component.