my uttarakhand news Bureau
Dehradun/New Delhi, 27 Jan: Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Uttarakhand has achieved the 100 percent target of water quality testing for the year 2025–26. Incorporating the suggestions provided by the Central Government, a comprehensive policy has been formulated for the structure, operation, and maintenance of rural drinking water schemes.
This was stated by the State Minister for Irrigation and Watershed Management, Satpal Maharaj, while representing Uttarakhand and addressing the Ministerial Policy Dialogue Workshop on Sustainable Operation and Maintenance of Rural Drinking Water Services, held on Tuesday at the Dr C Subramaniam Convention Centre, Ministry of Jal Shakti, New Delhi. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, social audits of schemes are being conducted in every development block of the state to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047 under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The operation and maintenance of schemes through Self-Help Groups has also been incorporated into the Operation and Maintenance Policy.
Minister Satpal Maharaj added that, in line with the expectations of the Government of India, the state has completed the creation of Sujalam IDs for 65 percent of the schemes. In addition, water service assessments have been conducted in 25 Panchayats against a total of 5,071 “Har Ghar Jal” Panchayats, while the remaining Panchayats will be covered soon.
Maharaj requested Union Minister for Jal Shakti, CR Patil that approximately 7,800 “Nal Jal Mitras” are to be appointed across Gram Panchayats, out of which 6,800 have already been selected. These Nal Jal Mitras are required to undergo 42 days of training. However, he pointed out that many are reluctant to attend the training as they are unable to forgo their livelihood for such a long duration. He therefore requested that, similar to MGNREGA, they be provided daily wages for the 42-day training period so that the training can be conducted smoothly. He further stated that the state government currently has pending liabilities of approximately Rs 1,500 crore and that work on 1,096 schemes is progressing at a slow pace; hence, the release of the required funds is necessary to expedite the work.
The workshop was attended by Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna, Deputy Chief Ministers, and Ministers from all states.
About The Author
