71% rural households have tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission: Govt

New Delhi: Nearly 71 per cent rural households across the country have tap water connection under the Jal Shakti Mission till now, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

In a written reply, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel said nine states/Union territories -- Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana, A&N Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu and Puducherry have reported that they had provided tap water connection to all rural households as on September 30.

At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections.

So far, as reported by states/UTs as on November 29, around 10.46 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections, the minister said.

As on November 29, out of 19.24 crore rural households in the country, around 13.69 crore households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes, which accounts for about 71 per cent.

The government's flagship initiative aims at providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual tap connections to all households in rural India by 2024.