Analysis Of Kurukshetrara Magagzine
”Women’s Role in Jal Jeevan Mission”

Relevance

”GS 2: Government Policies & Interventions”
”GS 3: Skill Development, Employment”

Context

Since August 2019, the Government of India in partnership with the States is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household in the country by 2024.

What is Jal Jeevan Mission?

• Announced in 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission (JIM) is a huge step in improving the quality of life in villages and improving public health.
• JIM is under implementation in partnership with all the States to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country.
• It is envisaged that by 2024, each household will have a potable tap-water supply in adequate quantity (55 lpcd) of prescribed quality (BIS: 10,500) on a regular and long-term basis.
• To implement this mission, institutional arrangements at various levels have been made.

How does JJM ensure Women Participation?

• A key benefit of the JJM is that the rural women, who suffer the drudgery of having to travel long distances to bring water home will be saved from the ordeal.
• Following this vision, it has been mandated that a minimum of 50% of the VWSC members would be women.
• This accords them a significant role in village water governance suiting their traditional role as water managers.
• Alleviating rural women of their drudgery in fetching water and Village Water and Sanitation bringing them ease of living.
• While ease of living is envisaged to give rural women an opportunity in self-reliance or atmanirbharta, and leverage their experience as village water managers in VWSCs, women are also given the role of custodian of water quality in their villages.
• Under the Mission, each village will have a cadre of 5 trained women formed to monitor the tap water quality provided in homes.
• With the active participation of people especially women, and rural communities working together, Jal Jeevan
  Mission has become a Jan Andolan.

Bottom-Up Approach

• Jal Jeevan Mission is a ‘bottom up’ approach where community plays a vital role from planning to implementation, management, operation and maintenance.
• To achieve this, Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Pani Samiti are being constituted and strengthened; Village Action Plan are developed through community engagement; Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs) are engaged to support village communities in programme implementation and create awareness among people.