The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that it will no longer require villagers to pay a 10% contribution for new tap water connections under the "Har Ghar Nal" scheme, which is part of the Jal Jeevan Mission. This will benefit about 2.33 crore (23.3 million) families in rural areas. Now, villagers will only pay a small maintenance fee of Rs 50 (approximately $0.60 USD).
Here's a simplified explanation:
What is the Jal Jeevan Mission? A national government program to provide tap water to every household in India.
What is the "Har Ghar Nal" scheme? A part of the Jal Jeevan Mission that focuses on providing tap water connections to every rural home.
What was the previous rule about community contributions? Villagers were originally required to pay part of the cost for the new tap connections (either 5% or 10%, depending on the village).
What is the new change? The Uttar Pradesh government will now pay the entire cost of the connections, so villagers no longer have to pay the 5% or 10% contribution.
How much money will this save villagers? About Rs 9,092.42 crore (approximately $1.1 billion USD).
How much is the Uttar Pradesh government spending on this? Rs 2,000 crore (approximately $240 million USD) in the current financial year.
What was the old rule about contributions in different villages? Villages with more people from Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST) had to pay only 5%, while other villages had to pay 10%.
Are other states doing this too? Yes, states like Haryana, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal have also covered the community contributions for similar programs. Rajasthan has also announced a similar waiver, and Madhya Pradesh is considering it.
What is the Rs 50 fee for? It's a small monthly maintenance charge that villagers will pay to their local village council (Gram Panchayat) to help keep the water system running.
Key Facts about the Jal Jeevan Mission:
- Goal: Provide tap water to every rural household by 2024.
- A large amount of money (Rs 1.52 lakh crore) has been approved for many projects.
- The mission encourages communities to take ownership of their water systems.
- A key goal is to provide "Functional Tap Connections" (FHTC).
- Other states are also covering community costs.
In simple terms: The government in Uttar Pradesh is making it easier for rural families to get tap water connections by paying the full cost themselves. This will help millions of people get access to clean drinking water. This is part of a larger national program to provide tap water to every home in India