Punjab govt reiterates its promise of 'Har Ghar Jal' by 2022
20 Apr 2021 15:33:28
New Delhi, Apr 20: The state of Punjab presented their Jal Jeevan Mission Annual Action Plan on Apr 19, through video conference. During the presentation, Punjab reiterated the commitment of the state govt to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2022 as planned.
Punjab has 34.73 lakh rural household, out of which 25.88 lakh, that comprises of almost 74.5 per cent of rural housing, have tap water supply. In 2021-22, the State plans to provide 8.87 lakh tap connections, thereby providing tap connection to every rural household. Punjab has 1,634 habitations, which are Arsenic, Fluoride and other contamination affected. Out of these 558 habitations have been covered by the State, while for the remaining habitations, as a short-term measure, the State will provide potable water in all the quality-affected habitations.
To ensure transparency and accountability, Punjab has set up a well-equipped digital 24x7 call centre with Interactive Voice Responsive System. This analog grievance redressal system was upgraded in Dec 2020. Last year, the redressal rate was 97.76 per cent. The pending complaints daily monitoring is done by sending reminders to Executive Engineer via SMS, What’s App messages, e-mail and over phone.
The national committee appreciated the State's concerted efforts for providing 100 per cent tap connections in all schools and Anganwadi centres. According to the official data, 9.09 lakh tap connections were provided in last one and half year under Jal Jeevan Mission. So far, 4 districts 29 blocks, 5,715 panchayats and 6,003 villages in Punjab have been declared ‘Har Ghar Jal’, which means every rural household has access to water through tap.