Jal Jeevan Mission: The Jal Shakti Ministry said that around 160 million rural households now have access to drinking water, which is a significant increase from the 17 per cent coverage when the Jal Jeevan Abhiyan was launched, with 78.58 per cent of rural households now having access to drinking water.

The mission, which aims to bridge the rural-urban divide and improve public health, aims to provide every rural household with a functional household tap connection (FHTC) by 2024.

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As of October 6, the ministry said the campaign had provided tap water connections to 151.9 million rural households, ensuring that 78.58 per cent have access to drinking water, a significant increase from the 17 per cent coverage when the program was launched.

The initiative, which also addresses water quality and drought-prone areas, has directly benefited 190 million rural households. Since the launch of the campaign, 119.5 million new tap water connections have been added, with states such as Goa, Haryana, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh achieving 100 per cent rural household coverage.

In addition, over 9.29 lakh schools and Anganwadi centres across the country now have access to clean water, the ministry said in a statement. Over 2.4 million women have been trained to test water quality using field test kits, with over 5.4 million water samples reportedly tested so far.

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(With Agencies Input)