Nagaland recognised for exemplary performance under Jal Jeevan Mission

Dimapur, Oct. 2 (EMN): Ministry of Jal Shakti felicitated Nagaland on Sunday for ‘exemplary performance’ in the functionality parameter of tap connections in rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) among states/ UTs having less than 60 % tap connection coverage.

The awards were given to commemorate the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on Sunday.

During the event, President Droupadi Murmu was presented with the Swachh Survekshan Grameen’s (SSG) 2022 report by Union Jal Shakti Minister.

The Swachh Sarvekshan report gives details of the ranking, field survey, assessment, and citizens’ perceptions. Based on the findings of Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022 and JJM Functionality Assessment report, implementation and progress of the two missions of the department, best performing states/UTs and districts were felicitated during the event on Sunday.

Nagaland was also felicitated for its achievements under various categories, it said. (refer table)

The report is based on the third-party survey carried out by the department, to assess the number of working tap connections, regularity, and prescribed quality of water supplied.

Telangana won the first prize under the large states category under the Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2022, which looks into the sanitation status of rural areas.

Haryana was in the second position while Tamil Nadu was third.

The Swachh Survekshan Gramin-2022 award ranks states and districts on the basis of their performance attained on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) parameters and engagement of the rural community in the improvement of their sanitation status.

Among smaller states and Union territories, Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Sikkim.

Speaking on the occasion, Murmu stressed on the need to build a clean, healthy and self-reliant India.

“At the beginning of Jal Jeevan Mission, only 3.23 crore rural households had tap water supply, which has increased to 10.27 crore in three years. The access to tap water has led to a significant reduction in water-borne diseases in recent years,” Murmu said.

“But our goal is much bigger. We have to set an example to the world in the field of water management and sanitation,” she said.

A day-long programme was organised at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Murmu presided over the function as the chief guest in the presence of the Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Food Processing Industry and Bishweswar Tudu, Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs.

DDWS implements two flagship programmes of the Central government namely Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

 JJM was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019 with the aim to provide a tap water connection in every rural household. Similarly, SBM(G) Phase II was launched in March 2020, to make rural India ODF+ i.e., sustaining the status of Open Defecation-Free (ODF) and ensuring solid and liquid waste management in every village.

During the programme, Jal Jeevan Survekshan 2023 was also launched, which aims to talk about the functionality of tap water connections in all the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages. It is a means to ensure that the objective of the Jal Jeevan Mission is achieved i.e. adequate amount of potable water is regularly reaching every household in the village, it read.

Nagaland was represented by E Mhonbemo Patton, Principal Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, PHED, Akokba Sair, Executive Engineer, PHED, Kiphire and Ichirang Zeliang , State Co-ordinator SBM (G), PHED. (With inputs from PTI)

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