NEW DELHI, Dec 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the transformative impact of the Jal Jeevan Mission in empowering women, especially in rural India, on Thursday. Launched in August 2019, the mission aims to provide functional tap water connections to every rural household, bringing significant changes to women’s daily lives and opportunities for self-reliance.
In a post on X, PM Modi shared how the availability of clean water at their doorsteps has freed women from the burden of fetching water from distant sources. With this newfound convenience, women can now focus on skill development and engage in income-generating activities.
Since its inception, the Jal Jeevan Mission has made remarkable progress, with the number of rural households with tap water connections increasing from just 3.23 crore (17 percent) in 2019 to 11.96 crore by October 2024. As of now, over 15.35 crore rural households, or 79.31 percent, have access to tap water.
The initiative has achieved 100 percent tap water coverage in 11 states, including Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Haryana, Puducherry, Telangana, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram.
A recent research report by the State Bank of India shows that rural households have seen an 8.3 percentage point decline in the need to fetch water from outside sources. This has led to a 7.4 percentage point increase in women’s participation in agriculture and other productive activities. Exceptional progress has been noted in states such as Bihar and Assam, where the female workforce has increased by over 28 percentage points.
PM Modi’s remarks underscore the critical role the Jal Jeevan Mission plays not only in improving access to clean water but also in advancing women’s empowerment and fostering rural development across India.
