Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Making every drop count: On the Jal Jeevan Mission

Making every drop count: On the Jal Jeevan Mission

The infrastructure created as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission must be long-lasting

One of the most significant (महत्वपूर्ण) commitments (प्रतिबद्धता, वचनबद्धता) of the Narendra Modi government is to ensure (पक्का करना, सुनिश्चित करना) piped water to every rural household by 2024. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, led by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, 10.2 crore rural households, or about 53% of the eligible population, now have tap water access. This, the Government claims, is a 37-percentage point rise from 2019 when the scheme was announced, where its stated aim is to ensure at least 55 litres per person per day of potable (पीने योग्य) water to every rural household — which implies (संकेत करना, सूचित करना) a mere connection does not suffice (पर्याप्त). The Government commissions annual surveys to evaluate (Evaluate) the success of the scheme. A recent audit, by a private agency, found that around 62% of rural households in India had fully functional tap water connections within their premises (परिसर, आधारित). A report of a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources in March, based on numbers provided by the nodal Jal Shakti Ministry, stated that 46% households had such fully functional tap water connections. It is important to note that for the purposes of the survey, only 3% of rural households were surveyed by the agency for the updated numbers and so the margin of error may be substantial and subject to the way the survey was designed. If the numbers are accurate, however, this represents an impressive (प्रभावशाली) rise in potable, tap water accessibility and suggests that the mission is well on its way to meeting its 2024 target.

The survey, however, revealed wide disparities (असमानता) in achievement. Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Puducherry reported more than 80% of households with fully functional (कार्यात्मक) connections while less than half the households in Rajasthan, Kerala, Manipur, Tripura, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim had such connections. About 75% of households received water all days of the week, and only 8% just once a week. On average, households got water for three hours every day. Moreover, the report mentions a problem of chlorine contamination (संदूषण, दूषण). Though 93% of the water samples were reportedly free of bacteriological contamination, most of the anganwadi centres and schools had higher than the permissible range of residual chlorine. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted (बाधित, अस्त-व्यस्त) the progress of the scheme but with the economy now close to pre-pandemic levels, it is likely that the challenges of labour and material have softened somewhat to aid the progress of the scheme. The Centre should liaise (संबंध स्थापित करना) better with States that are falling behind in targets and ensure that the infrastructure created as part of the scheme is long lasting and not merely to meet election targets.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Significant (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - महत्वपूर्ण
English Meaning - Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

2.Commitment (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिबद्धता, वचनबद्धता
English Meaning - An agreement or pledge to do something in the future.

3.Ensure (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - पक्का करना, सुनिश्चित करना
English Meaning - To make sure of.

4.Potable (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पीने योग्य
English Meaning - Safe to drink; drinkable.

5.Implies (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - संकेत करना, सूचित करना
English Meaning - To indicate by inference rather than by a direct statement.

6.Suffice (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - पर्याप्त
English Meaning - Be adequate

7.Evaluate (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - मूल्यांकन करना
English Meaning - Form an idea of the amount, number, or value of; assess.

8.Premises (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिसर, आधारित
English Meaning - Preliminary statements in a document upon which later ones are predicated.

9.Impressive (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभावशाली
English Meaning - Evoking admiration through size, quality, or skill; grand, imposing, or awesome.

10.Disparities (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - असमानता
English Meaning - A great difference.

11.Functional (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यात्मक
English Meaning - Of or having a special activity, purpose, or task; relating to the way in which something works or operates.

12.Contamination (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - संदूषण, दूषण
English Meaning - The action or state of making or being made impure by polluting or poisoning.

13.Disrupt (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - बाधित, अस्त-व्यस्त
English Meaning - Interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a disturbance or problem.

14.Liaise (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - संबंध स्थापित करना
English Meaning - Establish a working relationship, typically in order to cooperate on a matter of mutual concern