On December 2, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma held a meeting with the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, CR Patil, at Shram Shakti Bhawan to review tap water access in the state. The discussion focused on the progress of the Har Ghar Jal scheme and plans to achieve full coverage of tap water connections in rural areas.
Dr. Sarma informed the Union Minister that Assam has made considerable improvement, with over 80% of rural homes now having access to tap water. He gave the spotlight to the importance of reaching every home and requested the central government's support to speed up the remaining work.
In response, CR Patil guaranteed that the Ministry of Jal Shakti would supply complete service to help Assam achieve its goal of 100% coverage under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, Assam Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, and senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Har Ghar Jal scheme, launched in 2019, aims to supply 55 litres of safe drinking water per person, per day, to every rural household by 2024. The initiative is part of the larger Jal Jeevan Mission, which seeks to improve water access and quality across India.
Later, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma shared updates from the meeting on social media (X), saying:
"Assam is vigorously implementing Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of Har Ghar Jal, and we have so far achieved over 80% of our tap water connection target. To take the Jal Jeevan initiative further & ensure its saturation in the State, I held a meeting with Hon'ble Union Minister Shri @CRPaatil ji today and discussed the roadmap ahead for the project."
With support from the central government, Assam hopes to reach its target and provide every rural family in the state has access to safe tap water by 2024. (PR)