Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 19 said his goverment has provided piped water connection to seven crore rural families in the last three years under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which helped the country achieve the milestone of 10 crore connections in villages so far.
He was addressing, via video link, a programme organised by the Goa government to mark 100% piped water supply coverage in rural households of the State.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant were present for the function in Panaji.
"In the seven decades since the Independence, only three crore rural households had piped water. But in the last three years, since the announcement of this mission, our government has connected seven crore additional rural households through tap water," Mr. Modi said.
"The achievement of 10 crore milestone reflects the Centre's commitment towards provision of water and preservation of environment," he added.
Mr. Modi said that when he made the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, there were 16 crore rural families that were dependent on other sources of water. "We could not keep such a big population struggling," he added.
Mr. Modi said the Jal Jeevan Mission's success is due to people's participation, partnership of stakeholders, political will and optimum use of resources.
