70 per cent rural houses in Telangana get tap water

Hyderabad: The much boasted ‘Double engine’ model governance can be a farce, if water tap connections extended in rural households in different States, are considered a parameter. Leave aside, growth and development, in many BJP ruled States getting a water tap connection in rural areas can be a task for many.

While 70.99 per cent rural households in Telangana are fitted with tap water connections, in several BJP-ruled states like Gujarat it is 25.51 per cent, Karnataka (28.74 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (30.72 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (12.73 per cent). This was admitted by union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel in reply to a question by TRS MP B Lingaiah Yadav in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The union Minister in a written reply further said since August 2019, the Central Government in partnership with States, was implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to make provision of tap water supply at a service level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd) on a regular and long-term basis to every rural household of the country by 2024.

During the launch of JJM, out of 18.93 crore rural households, 3.23 crore (17 percent) households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, 6.54 crore (34.07 per cent) rural households have been provided with tap water connections in the last 35 months, he added.

Apart from Telangana, other States and union Territories that have achieved the cent percent tap water supply feat include, Haryana, Goa, Puducherry, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the JJM.

Even before the Central Government envisaged the tap water connections to households in rural areas, Telangana Government under its Mission Bhagiratha programme had set up the requisite infrastructure for tap water supply. Households are extended tap water connection for Rs.1 under BPL families.