Will Odisha CM Ensure Piped Drinking Water for Every Village by March 2027?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Bhubaneswar, Feb 10 (NationPress) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has instructed senior officials to guarantee a piped drinking water supply to every village in the state by March 2027.
During a review of the rural drinking water supply system conducted by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department at Lok Seva Bhavan on Tuesday, CM Majhi emphasized the necessity of implementing this initiative in mission mode. He urged officials to prioritize the completion of projects within the designated timeframe to ensure that every village has access to drinking water facilities.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the importance of providing piped drinking water in tribal-dominated regions during the review.
He further instructed officials to ensure that no revenue village in Odisha is excluded from the drinking water supply initiative.
As per an official statement, of the 46,531 villages in the state, only 21,721 villages currently have piped drinking water access.
Moreover, several projects, including solar-powered schemes and mega drinking water projects, are at various stages of implementation.
CM Majhi has set an ambitious target to complete all ongoing projects promptly and ensure piped water supply to all villages by March 2027.
The state government has committed to an investment of Rs 54,000 crore to achieve comprehensive piped drinking water supply coverage across Odisha.
Out of this, Rs 32,128 crore has been allocated under the Jal Jeevan Mission, while the remaining Rs 21,109 crore is sourced from the state's own financial resources.
Additionally, the state government revealed that between 2017 and June 12, 2024, only three mega drinking water projects were completed. In contrast, 23 mega drinking water projects have been successfully completed from June 2024 to now.
Furthermore, over the last 20 months, a total of 2,951 Single Village Projects (SVPs) and 2,702 solar-powered drinking water projects have been finalized, alongside the installation of 26,137 tube wells throughout Odisha.