Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme: Objectives, Benefits, Eligibility & Application Process

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to all rural Indian households by 2024 through individual household tap connections. The programme also mandates source sustainability measures, including reuse and recharge through greywater management, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting. 

Find out more about the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme and its components, objectives, and benefits.

What is Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme?

The government announced the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Scheme on 15 August 2019, which will be implemented in partnership with states. This scheme will provide a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) and water supply to every rural household in adequate quantity with adequate pressure on a regular and long-term basis in each rural home in India by 2024. 

At the time of its launch, only 3.23 crore, or 17% of rural households, had tap water connections. Thus, this mission ensures that no one is left out, and the poorest, marginalised sections of society and the previously unreached are provided with an assured tap water supply.

It aims to bridge the gap between rural and urban households in terms of water connection by providing nearly 16 crore additional households with tap water by 2024, directly benefiting over 19 crore rural families. 

Jal Jeevan Mission will employ modern technology to plan and implement water supply schemes. It will also focus on developing water sources, treating and supplying water, empowering Gram Panchayats and local communities, and partnering with other stakeholders. This scheme also converges with other programmes and uses methodical monitoring with automatic data capture to ensure quality of service. 

Jal Jeevan Mission Budget 2025

In the Budget 2025, the Finance Minister announced the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission until 2028. Since 2019, this mission has provided 15 crore households, or 80% of India’s rural population, access to tap water connections. Thus, the Finance Minister stated that this mission is extended until 2028 to achieve 100% coverage with an enhanced total outlay. 

The mission will focus on the quality of infrastructure and operation and management of rural piped water supply schemes through ‘Jan Bhagidhari’. Under this mission, a separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with states or UTs to ensure sustainability and citizen-centric water service delivery. 

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Launch Date

The government launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) on 15 August 2019, aiming to provide tap water to every rural household by 2024. However, in the Budget 2025, the government extended this scheme till 2028 to provide water connections to all rural households.

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Objectives

The objectives of the Jal Jeevan Mission are as follows:

• To provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to all rural households.
• To prioritise the provision of FHTCs in quality-affected areas, desert and drought-prone villages, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages, etc.
• To provide functional tap connections to schools, Gram Panchayat buildings, Anganwadi centres, health centres, community buildings, and wellness centres.
• To monitor the functionality of tap connections.
• To ensure and promote voluntary ownership among the local community through cash contributions, contributions in kind or labour and voluntary labour.
• To provide assistance in ensuring the sustainability of the water supply system, i.e. water supply infrastructure, source, and funds for regular operation and maintenance.
• To develop and empower human resources in the sector so that the short and long-term demands of plumbing, construction, water quality management, electrical, catchment protection, water treatment, etc., are met.
• To bring awareness on different aspects and the importance of safe drinking water and involvement of stakeholders in a manner that makes water everyone’s business.

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Components

The following are the components of the Jal Jeevan Mission:

• Developing of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to give tap water connection to all rural households.
• Developing reliable drinking water sources and augmentation of existing sources to ensure the long-term sustainability of the water supply system.
• Treatment plants, bulk water transfer, and distribution network to cater to all rural households wherever necessary.
• Technological interventions to remove contaminants where water quality is an issue.
• Retrofitting of ongoing and completed schemes to provide FHTCs at minimum service level.
• Greywater management.
• Support activities, i.e., Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Human Resource Development (HRD), development of utilities, training, water quality testing and surveillance, water quality laboratories, knowledge centre, Research and Development (R&D), capacity building of communities, etc.
• Any other unforeseen challenges or issues emerging due to natural disasters or calamities affecting the FHTC goal of every household as per the Ministry of Finance guidelines on Flexi Funds.

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Benefits

• About 1.36 lakh deaths of children can be averted by providing safe water to all rural households.
• About 4 lakh deaths from diarrhoea can be averted by providing safe water to all rural households.
• The FHTC will be provided with three delivery points (taps) in every household: the kitchen, washing and bathing area, and toilet. This will help keep water clean and prevent its misuse. 
• It will improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas. 
• It will help people save time in collecting water. 
• It helps to build community ownership of water supply systems. 
• It ensures the sustainability of the water supply source and monitors the functionality of tap connections.
• It will improve the quality of water in areas where it is contaminated. 
• It will raise awareness about the importance of safe drinking water.

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Eligibility

The Jal Jeevan Mission scheme is applicable to all rural households in India.

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Documents Required

To get a water connection, proof of identity is required to be submitted. Any one of the following documents can be provided as identity proof:

• Voter ID 
• Passport 
• Driving license 
• Ration card
• Aadhaar card

Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme Application Process

Individual households need not apply for the Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme since the government will assess each village and provide tap connections to all rural households. 

State Governments or UT administration will implement this mission to cover all the respective State or UT villages. District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) will assess each village based on the existing water supply infrastructure in consultation with Gram Panchayat or its sub-committee and Implementation Support Agency (ISA). 

Based on the assessment, FHTCs will be provided to all rural households by making in-village water supply infrastructure under any one of the following categories:

• Retrofitting of ongoing schemes taken up under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) for the last mile connectivity.
• Retrofitting of completed water supply schemes for rural areas to make it Jal Jeevan Mission compliant.
• Single Village Scheme (SVS) in villages having adequate spring water, groundwater, and local or surface water sources of the prescribed quality.
• Single Village Scheme (SVS) in villages with appropriate groundwater requiring treatment.
• Multi Village Scheme (MVS) with regional water supply scheme and water grids.
• Mini solar power-based piped water supply in isolated or tribal hamlets.

The Jal Jeevan Mission has reached a significant milestone, significantly impacting the lives of rural people by giving them reliable access to tap water in their homes. It has already provided 80% of rural households with water connections. With the government’s decision to extend the mission till 2028, it will achieve 100% coverage. This mission will improve public health, save time, and enhance the overall quality of life for millions of people in rural areas.

Find out more about Union Budget 2025 schemes!
Union Budget 2025: Full List of Schemes Announced By Finance Minister