Year End Review – Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti
The Year-End Review 2024 by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti highlights significant progress in rural sanitation and drinking water access through Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen Phase II and Jal Jeevan Mission.
The review showcases infrastructure development, health impacts, digital innovations, and capacity building to ensure sustained outcomes.
Relevance : GS 2(Governance) ,GS 3(Infrastructure)
Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) Phase II
- ODF Plus Achievements (as of 27th Dec 2024):
- Over 95% of villages declared ODF Plus.
- Over 69% of villages declared ODF Plus Model.
- 460% surge in ODF Plus villages (from 1 lakh in Dec 2022 to 5.61 lakh in Dec 2024).
- Village breakdown: 1,46,767 Aspiring, 12,064 Rising, 4,02,591 Model, 2,32,115 Verified.
- Infrastructure (as of 24th Dec 2024):
- 11.77 crore Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) constructed since 2014.
- 2.49 lakh Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs) built.
- 4,75,210 villages with Solid Waste Management arrangements.
- 5,14,102 villages with Liquid Waste Management arrangements.
- Over 990 community Biogas Plants functional under GOBARdhan initiative.
- Program Funding:
- Total outlay for SBM-G Phase II: Over ₹1.40 lakh crore.
- Expenditure: ₹25,391.83 crore (2014-2023), ₹9,726.01 crore (2023-2024).
- Central-State fund sharing: 90:10 for NE and Himalayan States/UTs, 60:40 for others, 100% Central for UTs.
- Incentive of ₹12,000 for IHHL construction for eligible households.
- Campaigns and Events:
- Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 (17th Sep–2nd Oct): Over 30 crore participants, theme “Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata.”
- Included 11K cyclothons, 16K Swachh Food Streets, 79K cultural fests, 71 lakh trees planted.
- Hamara Shauchalay, Hamara Samman (19th Nov–10th Dec 2024): Mobilized 38 lakh participants, improved 1.54 lakh CSCs (70% of facilities).
- Republic Day 2024: Hon’ble Union Minister engaged 475 women from 27 States/UTs to celebrate women changemakers in sanitation.
- Bharat Parv (26th–31st Jan 2024): DDWS-SBMG showcased achievements at Red Fort, Delhi.
- India Water Week 2024 (17th–19th Sep): International WASH Conference focused on sustaining rural water supply.
- Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2024 (17th Sep–2nd Oct): Over 30 crore participants, theme “Swabhav Swachhata, Sanskar Swachhata.”
- Light House Initiative (LHI):
- Phase 1 (launched 29th Jul 2022): 73 of 76 Gram Panchayats declared ODF Plus Model.
- Phase 2 (Jul 2024–Mar 2025): Expanded to 43 blocks across 14 states, focusing on community-driven SLWM.
- Swachhata Green Leaf Rating (SGLR):
- Launched with Ministry of Tourism to promote sanitation in hospitality facilities.
- 1,682 facilities rated, with Bison Resorts, Madhya Pradesh, receiving the first 5-leaf rating.
- Health Impact:
- Study in Nature (2024): SBM reduced infant and under-five mortality by 60,000–70,000 annually.
- Training and Capacity Building:
- 19,855 trainings conducted, covering 1,12,876 Gram Panchayats.
- 30,753 master trainers trained.
- SPM Niwas, Kolkata, conducted 40 SBM-G trainings and 35 JJM trainings for 1,600+ participants.
- Digital Platforms:
- SBM-G Dashboard (with NIC): Enables data-driven decisions for ODF Plus Model status.
- Swachhata Samachar: Monthly newsletter launched in Aug 2022, 12 issues published in 2024.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)
- Achievements (as of 26th Dec 2024):
- 15.30 crore (78.91%) rural households with tap water connections, up from 3 crore in 2019.
- 101 districts, 869 blocks, 78,291 panchayats, and 1,50,190 villages certified as Har Ghar Jal.
- JE-AES affected districts: Tap water coverage rose from 2.70% to 81.02% in 61 districts.
- Aspirational Districts: 78.22% of households (2.15 crore) have tap connections.
- Funding:
- Total outlay: ₹3.6 lakh crore (2019–2024).
- 15th Finance Commission: ₹1.42 lakh crore for water supply and sanitation (2021–2026).
- 2024-25: ₹21,825.23 crore released to 25 states.
- Fund utilization (2019–2024): Ranges from ₹5,983.49 crore (2019-20) to ₹82,262.10 crore (2023-24).
- Water Quality Monitoring:
- 2,161 water testing labs, 1,569 NABL-accredited.
- 56 lakh water samples tested in 2024-25.
- 24.79 lakh women trained in 5.07 lakh villages to use Field Test Kits (FTKs).
- Nal Jal Mitra Programme (NJMP):
- Aims to train 2.49 lakh youths by Aug 2025 as scheme operators.
- 17 States/UTs nominated 23,821 candidates, 2,000 completed training, 7,221 in training.
- 272 training centers identified, 630 trainers nominated.
- Digital Initiatives:
- Nal Jal Seva Portal: Piloted in Assam and Ladakh for water supply management.
- Citizen Corner: Launched on JJM dashboard for real-time water quality and supply data.
- Jal Jeevan Samvad: Monthly newsletter, 50 issues published since Oct 2020.
- Innovation and Technology:
- Innovation Challenge (with Startup India): Four startups developed certified portable water quality testing devices.
- 32 innovative water projects recommended, 8 R&D projects approved (7 completed).
- Integration with PM GatiShakti: 6.4 lakh km of pipeline data uploaded.
- Capacity Building:
- 99 Key Resource Centres trained 2,292 persons in 2024.
- 14,000 Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs) engaged for community mobilization.
- 74 National WASH Experts conducted ground truthing in 2,586 villages.
- Functionality Assessments:
- 2020-21: Surveyed 87,123 households across 6,992 villages.
- 2022: Surveyed 3,01,389 households across 13,299 villages.
- 2024: Ongoing, covering 2,73,295 households in 22,812 villages.
- Integration with MoPR Platforms:
- WASH data integrated into egramswaraj portal and Meri Panchayat app for real-time monitoring.
Conclusion :
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation marked significant strides in sanitation and rural water access in 2024, with transformative outcomes under SBM-G and JJM. These initiatives have not only enhanced infrastructure but also empowered communities towards sustainable hygiene and health.