Raipur, 7 August 2021. The progress of Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh was reviewed in a meeting held at the Chief Minister’s residence, Raipur, in the presence of the Minister of Jal Shakti, Government of India, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Chief Minister, Shri Bhupesh Baghel. In the meeting, Chhattisgarh’s Public Health Engineering Minister Guru Shri Rudrakumar, Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Shri Ravindra Choubey, Chief Secretary Shri Amitabh Jain, Director of National Water Life Mission Shri Bharatlal, Ms. Roopa Mishra and Shri Amit Shukla, of Chhattisgarh Public Health Engineering Department. Secretary Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi was present.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said in the meeting that the work of Jal Jeevan Mission is being done in the form of a campaign in Chhattisgarh. The target is to provide free tap connection to every household in the state by the year 2023. In this mission, water is to be supplied at the rate of 55 liters per person per day. Keeping this criterion in mind, water recharging work is being done on a large scale in the Narva Vikas Yojana of the state government to ensure the availability of water for a long time. In the last two and a half years, a significant increase has been recorded in the water level of many areas due to the water recharging work being done in coordination with other departments including Forest Department and Water Resources Department, Panchayat and Rural Development Department. The Chief Minister said that Chhattisgarh is a new and backward state, so the amount of center share for Jal Jeevan Mission should be increased from 50 percent to 75 percent. He said that 14 districts of the state are affected by Naxalism. These districts have dense forests, due to the inhospitable geographical conditions of these areas, there is no electricity. The cost of planning increases in forest-dominated areas. Chhattisgarh is also yet to get the amount of GST from the Central Government.
Union Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the availability of pure drinking water to the citizens is the basic need of life, therefore the Government of India and the State Government are completing the works of Jal Jeevan Mission on priority. By the year 2024, there is a target of providing pure drinking water to every household in the country and many states are trying to fulfill this target expeditiously. He said that normally 50 percent funds are being provided by the Central Government to the states for this mission. He said that in such villages where Naljal Yojana is already operational and some houses are left with water, if the work of Jal Jeevan Mission is completed on priority basis in such villages, it will speed up the work. He said that the work of Public Health Engineering Department is not only for construction of drinking water schemes, but also for regular operation of drinking water schemes, Supply of quality water in proper quantity and water testing work from time to time is also to be done. The Union Minister stressed the need for regular review of the works of Jal Jeevan Mission.
Giving a presentation on the work of Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh in the meeting, Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, Mr. Siddharth Komal Singh Pardeshi said that in the year 2021-22, an action plan has been approved for providing tap connections to 22 lakh 14 thousand families and Administrative approval has been given for the works of providing tap connections to 14 lakh 10 thousand families in 5 thousand 44 villages of the state. Under Jal Jeevan Mission, more than 39 lakh 81 thousand families in the state are to be given household tap connections. He informed that village action plan has been prepared by constituting water and sanitation committees in all the villages. Publicity of the works of Jal Jeevan Mission is being done through folk artists. Apart from this, information is being given to the villagers through social media and special publicity vehicles. On June 22, virtual ground worship and foundation stone of the approved works of Jal Jeevan Mission were done in various districts. has gone. Panchayat representatives, Anganwadi workers and Mitanins have been associated with the work of Jal Jeevan Mission.
It was informed in the meeting that the work of setting up of solar based electro defluoridation plants is being done in 150 fluoride affected habitations of the state. Out of these 27 works have been completed. Similarly, work of Naljal scheme is being done out of 52 habitations affected by iron surplus. Field test kits have been made available in 65 percent of the gram panchayats, for this 7 thousand 950 people have been trained. Along with one state level laboratory, 27 district, 22 subdivision level, 18 mobile laboratories are being operated. He said that under water recharging, more than 14 lakh 22 thousand works have been done in 2 thousand 411 drains under Narva program. In the year 2021-22, an action plan has been prepared for one lakh 33 thousand works by identifying 8 thousand 288 drains. Under MGNREGA, construction of 4 thousand 494 ponds, deepening of 14 thousand 174 ponds and construction of 2 thousand 750 check dams have been done.