The government remains committed to its pledge of ensuring access to running water in every Indian household by the end of 2024. With 55 percent of the target already achieved, officials are working to cover over seven crore households within the next 15 months as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

Initially launched in August 2019, the JJM aimed to reach 16.21 crore rural households with water connections. Furthermore, CNBC-TV18 learns that the government is also focusing on increasing the availability of water per person per day. By 2030, the goal is to raise water availability to approximately 135 litres per person, compared to the current 55 litres.

In addition to expanding coverage and increasing water availability, the government envisions providing 24x7 water supply to rural households by 2047.

However, it is important to note that the mission faced challenges between March 2020 and September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, there is a possibility that the original deadline of August 2024 may be extended to December 2024, according to government officials.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)