Gandhi Jayanti: Jal Shakti’s 100-day campaign for piped water in India’s every school, anganwadi

The Jal Shakti ministry will launch a 100-day campaign under the Jal Jeevan Mission on Mahtama Gandhi’s birth anniversary on Friday to ensure safe piped water supply to schools and anganwadi centres across the country.

Unveiling the logo of the Jal Jeevan Mission, which seeks to provide every rural household with potable tap water by 2024 on September 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about launching the 100-days campaign on Gandhi Jayanti.

He also released a road map for panchayats and paani samitis (water councils) for the implementation of the drinking water programme. Modi appealed the heads of all village councils in the country to utilise the campaign to ensure potable piped water supply to these public institutions.

Also read: Jal Shakti dept to put work sites in Uttar Pradesh under CCTV to monitor progress

“During this 100-day campaign, gram sabhas will be convened coinciding with Gandhi Jayanti, on October 2, 2020, and in coming days to pass a resolution for providing safe water in all schools, anganwadi centres and other public institutions in the villages in the next 100 days,” the Jal Shakti ministry said in a statement.

Modi has written a letter to all sarpanch (heads of village councils), appealing them to work towards achieving the goal of “har ghar jal (water for every household)”.

“The goal of Jal Jeevan Mission -- Har Ghar Jal -- can be realised only under the leadership of all sarpanches/ village community leaders. The contribution made by all of you in making this programme a huge success is creating history. Through JJM, you will not just be solving the issue of water supply, but will also address associated health risks such as cholera, diarrhoea, encephalitis, etc.,” Modi’s letter said.

The Jal Shakti ministry has reached out to states and Union Territories to make the campaign a success. The public health engineering departments of states will spearhead the campaign along with other line departments like education, women and child welfare, panchayati raj and rural development and tribal welfare.

“This campaign will go a long way in ensuring safe water supply to our children that will positively impact their health and overall development. This will be a befitting tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 151st birth anniversary,” the ministry added.

On Gandhi Jayanti, Gujarat will organise an event in Porbandar, where chief minister Vijay Rupani will declare four districts of the state -- Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Porbandar, and Anand -- having 100% household tap water connections coverage.