Civil

Cabinet approves restructuring of National Rural Drinking Water Programme

10.11.2017

In order to ensure adequate safe water for drinking and good quality service delivery to the citizens living in remote areas, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the continuation and restructuring of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) targeting to make it result oriented with increased focus on sustainability (functionality) of schemes. Cabinet has approved a sum of Rs. 23,050 crore for the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) period 2017-18 to 2019-20. The main focus is on restructuring to make the programme flexible, result-oriented, competitive, and will enable the Ministry towards to reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable Piped Water Supply.

Further, to provide clean drinking water in Arsenic & Fluoride affected habitations, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in February, 2017 launched a Sub-programme under NRDWP viz. National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM). States have been given more flexibility in utilization of NRDWP funds by reducing the number of components under the programme. As per the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, about 77% of rural habitations in India have achieved a fully covered (FC) status (40 litres per capita per day) and 56% of the rural population have access to tap water through public stand posts within which 16.7% have household connections.

In 2009, the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme was modified as the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) with an object of ensuring sustainability of water availability in terms of potability, adequacy, convenience, affordability and equity. NRDWP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with 50:50 fund sharing between the Centre and the States. The programme includes all the Rural Population across the country. The restructuring will make the programme flexible, result-oriented, competitive, and will enable the Ministry towards to reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable Piped Water Supply. Water is a public good and every person has the right to demand drinking water. To improve public health, there is an urgent need to immediately enhance access to safe and adequate drinking water for the most vulnerable and deprived sections of society. Most of diseases are water born, when clean drinking water will be available across all remote areas, it would help in curtailing disease caused by water.

Tags : Programme Continuation Approval

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