Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday reiterated that 2023 will be the year of achieving cent percent implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the state, which is one year ahead of the national target set for 2024.
During a review meeting on JJM and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBM) held in Itanagar this morning, C Khandu felicitated various Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSC), Implementation Support Agencies (ISA), Block Resource Coordinators (BRC), Lab Assistants, and Jal Sathis for their outstanding contributions to the missions’ success.
He commended the Public Health Engineering & Water Supply (PHE&WS) department, the nodal agency responsible for implementing JJM and SBM in the state, for its remarkable achievements so far.
Expressing gratitude to the dedicated VWSCs, ISAs, BRCs, lab technicians, and Jal Sathis working at the village level, Khandu emphasized that the awards presented to them serve as recognition and inspiration for others to work diligently and ensure the realization of the ‘har ghar jal’ (water in every household) dream.
The chief minister praised the JJM scheme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, which aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households in India through individual tap connections by 2024.
He highlighted that the mission incorporates source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, including grey water management, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting, based on a community-oriented approach.
During the meeting with department officials, Khandu assured government support to cover the remaining villages within the current year. He directed the PHE&WS officials to hold a meeting with the planning, health, and education departments at the earliest to strategize the saturation of JJM, particularly focusing on health centers, schools, and anganwadi centers that are yet to be covered.
Khandu recommended concentrating efforts on villages and encouraged the VWSCs, ISAs, BRCs, and Jal Sathis, highlighting their critical role in the successful implementation of JJM and SBM. He emphasized that their hard work at the grassroots level is pivotal to the missions’ success.
Several key issues were discussed during the review meeting, including the physical and financial progress, additional support required from the state government, and addressing the remaining schools and anganwadi centers yet to be covered under the program.
As part of the meeting, the chief minister, along with Rural Development minister Bamang Felix, PHE&WS minister Wangki Lowang and Advisor to PHE&WS Lokam Tassar, released a handbook for the operation and maintenance of in-village water supply systems by the community.
Additionally, an awareness video on the Arunachal Pradesh Protection of Drinking Water Catchment Areas Act was launched during the event.
Also read: CM Khandu advocates nine parameters for sustainable village development
