Punjab third in northern region to tag water connections with beneficiaries

Tribune News Service

Nitin Jain

Ludhiana, April 22

Punjab has ranked third in the northern region in tagging functional household tap connections (FHTCs) with the beneficiaries under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the government has confirmed.

Every functional household tap connection is to be linked with the Aadhar number of the head of the household. With every asset to be geo-tagged, the states and the UTs have been advised to carry out inspections by empanelled third party agencies. The Centre will carry out functionality assessment of schemes, based on which funds will be made available to the states and the UTs. — Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Drinking Water & Sanitation, Union ministry of jal shakti

The agrarian state, which was close to achieving 100 per cent coverage of all its 34.3 lakh households with the FHTCs, has tagged 21.15 lakh of the total 22.17 lakh tap connections, which account for 95.4 per cent, with the beneficiaries, the second highest achievement in the northern region, the official figures have revealed.

While Rajasthan has topped the northern region by tagging 24.31 lakh of its total 25.13 lakh FHTCs, which account for 96.71 per cent, with the beneficiaries, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu remained the worst-performer with the minimum tagging of 1.12 lakh of its total 2.33 lakh FHTCs, with the beneficiaries. Haryana has ranked second by tagging 28.35 lakh of its total 29.55 lakh FHTCs, which account for 95.94 per cent, with the beneficiaries.

The official figures, compiled by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a copy of which is with The Tribune, indicated that 34.27 lakh of the total 34.4 lakh households (as on April 7) have been provided with the FHTCs in Punjab, of which 12.1 lakh tap water connections were private while 22.17 lakh FHTCS were installed under the JJM.

Among other states, Haryana has achieved 100 per cent coverage by providing FHTCs to all its 30.97 lakh households, of which 1.42 lakh were covered with private tap connections and 29.55 lakh FHTCs were issued under the JJM. Rajasthan covered 25.24 lakh of its total 105.69 lakh households, of which 11,000 were private tap connections and 25.13 lakh tap connections were issued under the JJM. Goa has covered all its 2.63 lakh households with FHTCs, including 30,000 private tap connections and 2.33 lakh issued under the JJM, of which 1.12 lakh (48.11 per cent) were tagged with beneficiaries. Gujarat has covered 86.74 lakh of its total 91.77 lakh households with the FHTCs, including 15,000 private tap connections and 86.58 lakh issued under the JJM, of which 58.27 lakh (67.3 per cent) were tagged.

Himachal Pradesh has covered 16.05 lakh of its total 17.28 lakh households with the FHTCs, including 2,000 private and 16.03 lakh connections under the JJM, of which 11.07 lakh (69.06 per cent) were tagged. Jammu and Kashmir has covered 10.61 lakh of its total 18.35 lakh households with the FHTCs, including 14,000 private and 10.47 lakh JJM connections, of which 5.44 lakh (52 per cent) were tagged. Ladakh has covered 13,000 of its total 43,000 with the FHTCs, all under the JJM, of which 12,000 (91.24 per cent) were tagged.

Maharashtra has covered 103.53 lakh of its total 146.09 lakh household with the FHTCs, including 21.75 lakh private and 81.77 lakh JJM connections, of which 76.34 lakh (93.36 per cent) were tagged. Uttarakhand has covered 9.3 lakh of its total 15.18 lakh households with the FHTCs, including 89,000 private and 8.42 lakh JJM connections, of which 7.21 lakh (85.73 per cent) were tagged with beneficiaries.

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