Piped water to be Modi 2.0 priority, the blueprint is in place

What toilets were to the Narendra Modi government in 2014 — the symbol of a nationwide crusade to end open defecation and build a cleaner India — piped potable water could well be for Modi 2.0. Only 18% of households in the countryside now have piped water supply, and the Bharatiya Janata Party -led National Democratic Alliance government is aiming for an over fivefold jump in five years. The blueprint for the Jal Jeevan Mission, which has been publicised with the tagline “har ghar, nal se jal”, translating as “water from the tap in every home,” is ready and has already been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee, government officials said. The blueprint of this is absolutely ready.” Water is a state subject, and Jal Jeevan won’t be an easy mission for the central government to accomplish. According to data from the Jal Shakti ministry, in states like Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, fewer than 5% of rural households have piped water.