00 Historical improvement in drinking water system in Chhattisgarh, tap water reaches more than 32 lakh households through Jal Jeevan Mission 
00 Around 41.87 lakh household tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission 5,564 villages declared as Har Ghar Jal Gram

Raipur. The effective and transparent implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh has brought about a comprehensive and historic transformation in the drinking water system in rural areas. Deputy Chief Minister Shri Arun Saw informed reporters during a press conference held today at the Samvad Auditorium in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar. 

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sao informed that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 40 lakh 87 thousand 27 domestic tap connections have been provided in the state so far, which has ensured supply of pure drinking water through taps to more than 32 lakh houses. He informed that before the implementation of the mission, only 3 lakh 19 thousand 741 domestic tap connections were available in the state, whereas in the last two years of the present government's tenure, this number has increased rapidly. Sao said that the clear objective of the state government is to provide safe, pure and continuous drinking water to every rural family and to soon establish Chhattisgarh as a Har Ghar Jal state.

Saw said that currently, 6,572 villages have achieved 100% household tap connections. 5,564 villages have been declared "Har Ghar Jal Grams," of which 4,544 have been duly certified. The number of Har Ghar certified villages has increased by 750 percent over the past two years. Additionally, water supply systems have been transferred to 5,088 gram panchayats.

The Deputy Chief Minister stated that prior to the Jal Jeevan Mission, 308,287 hand pumps, 4440 tap water schemes, and 2132 spot water supply schemes were operational in rural areas. Currently, 70 group water supply schemes are underway, benefiting 3208 villages, and over 985,000 household tap connections have been connected through these schemes. Emphasizing water quality, Mr. Saw stated that 77 water testing laboratories operate in the state, 47 of which are NABL accredited. For the convenience of the public, a toll-free number, 1800-233-0008, is also being effectively operated to promptly resolve drinking water-related issues.
Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Saw clarified that no compromise is being made on quality under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Due to faulty work, penalties of over ₹283.8 million have been imposed in the past two years, 629 contracts have been cancelled, and 11 firms have been blacklisted. Strict departmental and legal action has also been taken against erring officials and contractors.
Providing details of the upcoming action plan, he stated that the government's priorities are to construct the remaining approximately 800,000 household tap connections (FHTCs), complete over 21,000 incomplete projects, transfer over 24,000 projects to gram panchayats, and complete all ongoing group water supply schemes within the stipulated timeframe.
Providing information on human resource strengthening, the Deputy Chief Minister stated that in the past two years, 403 vacant posts have been created in the department, 213 positions have been filled, 103 employees have been promoted, and 877 government servants have been granted the benefit of time-scale pay scale.