Budget 2021: FM Sitharaman allocates Rs 50K crore for Jal Jeevan Mission

A whopping Rs 50,000 crore has been earmarked for the Jal Jeevan Mission in Budget 2021-22, even as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Monday announced the scheme's urban segment that aims to provide tap water connections to 2.86 crore households.

In the budget, the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department under the Jal Shakti Ministry has been allocated Rs 60,030 crore while Rs 9,022.57 crore has been earmarked for the Department of Water Resources, the River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

The DWS has seen a hike of more than three times in its budget allocation. In 2019-20, the DWS was allocated Rs 18,264.26 crore. It came down marginally to Rs 17,023.50 in 2020-21. In the coming fiscal year, the DWS has been earmarked Rs 60,030 crore.

Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission, a flagship programme of the Modi government, aims to provide tap water connections to rural households by 2024. So far, tap water connections have been given to 3.3 crore rural households.

In this budget, Rs 50,000 crore has been earmarked for this scheme. Additionally, Sitharaman announced the urban segment of this scheme.

The ambitious urban segment of the mission will be implemented over five years with an outlay of Rs 2,87,000 crore.

"The Jal Jeevan Mission (urban) will be launched. It aims at universal water supply in all 4,378 Urban Local Bodies with 2.86 crore household tap connections, as well as liquid waste management in 500 AMRUT cities. It will be implemented over 5 years, with an outlay of 2,87,000 crores," Sitharaman said in her budget speech.