NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized India’s experience in water management as a valuable reference point for nations across the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article that examined reforms initially implemented in Gujarat and later scaled up through national programs. The article states that dependable water services depend on effective governance, strategic planning, and local engagement alongside physical infrastructure. It also details how India combined public investment with community-led management and institutional reforms. This focus comes at a time when many developing nations are grappling with increasing demand, climate challenges, and unequal access to safe water.
The article reviews approximately 25 years of water policy evolution, drawing several lessons from India’s journey. It highlights the importance of stronger institutions, integrated water resource management, community ownership, and proactive planning for large-scale service delivery. Additionally, it describes a framework centered on political leadership, public funding, partnerships, and civic participation. These principles have been applied across various programs addressing drinking water, sanitation, groundwater, and conservation. Narendra Modi noted that the experience demonstrates that sustainable water security relies on both infrastructure and capable local systems.
India’s rural drinking-water initiative serves as a significant example of this expansion. Data from Jal Jeevan Mission indicated that about 15.91 crore rural households had tap-water connections by August 10, 2026. When the program launched in 2019, approximately 3.23 crore households already had such connections. The mission’s goal is to ensure the availability of functional household tap connections and reliable drinking-water services throughout rural India. The latest phase emphasizes service quality, system maintenance, and performance, shifting focus from merely counting infrastructure to ensuring ongoing water service functionality.
Jal Jeevan Mission broadens its scope to prioritize dependable water services
Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 in March 2026, extending the program through December 2028. The revised initiative has an approved budget of ₹8.69 lakh crore, including ₹3.59 lakh crore in central funding. The government has also directed states and union territories to develop reform plans addressing implementation, financing, and monitoring. The new framework emphasizes operations and maintenance post-construction, linking funding with measurable service delivery, enhanced local management, and ongoing access to safe drinking water.
Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 incorporates Sujalam Bharat, a digital platform for rural piped-water infrastructure. This system maps water sources to household taps, assigning each village a unique service-area identity. Officials expect this platform to aid in planning, asset management, and accountability. Local governments and community institutions continue to play a central role in daily operations, overseeing services, reporting issues, and supporting maintenance. This digital approach connects monitoring with local responsibility, rather than replacing community involvement with technology.
Community-led management underpins broader water reform efforts
The article shared by Modi emphasizes that countries should integrate water resource management with water service delivery. This approach ties infrastructure decisions directly to the long-term water availability for each system and emphasizes the importance of local institutions in service provision. India’s ongoing water reforms follow this model through village-level management, digital oversight, and national funding. The strategy combines large-scale public programs with local oversight, linking access to drinking water with broader initiatives in groundwater regulation, sanitation, conservation, and river restoration.
India’s water governance system does not depend solely on a single scheme. It integrates household tap connections, groundwater initiatives, sanitation projects, and conservation measures under a comprehensive policy framework. The reforms are presented as lessons for other developing nations to consider, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. India’s latest measures continue to link infrastructure investment with accountability, maintenance, and community engagement. The current program also prioritizes service reliability, making long-term system performance a crucial metric for rural water delivery.