PURI: A two-day regional conference on Jal Jeevan was inaugurated by Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat here on Thursday. Shekhawat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced Jal Jeevan Mission on the 73rd Independence Day to provide tap drinking water to 14.60 rural households by 2024. He said the Centre, in partnership with the State governments, would work to further the goal.
State Drinking Water and Panchayati Raj Minister Pratap Jena said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had launched ‘Vasudha Yojana’ to provide drinking water to villages in Odisha. Jena said while the State needs over Rs 3,000 crore to take the scheme forward, the Centre has provided only Rs 300 for it. Delegates from Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with several NGOs are participating in the conference.