CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has signed an MoU with the union government, extending the implementation period of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) from December 2024 to December 2028. The deal was signed on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay and Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil. While the CM participated from the secretariat, Patil joined through video conference from New Delhi.
The first phase of the mission was implemented between 2019 and 2024. The programme covered 45 new multi-village drinking water supply schemes, retrofitting of 56 combined water supply schemes and implementation of 21,258 single-village schemes.
During the extended phase, Tamil Nadu will receive an initial allocation of Rs 2,177 crore from the Union Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Under the programme, the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) and the State Level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) approved functional household tap connections for 46.71 lakh rural households, benefiting around 1.86 crore people across Tamil Nadu, said an official statement. The total approved cost of the first phase was Rs 18,123 crore, including Rs 9,025 crore from the centre and Rs 9,097 crore from the state government.
This extension of the JJM is expected to help ensure safe, adequate and sustainable drinking water supply to all rural households in the state, the statement said.