On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, 346 Gram Panchayats received Har Ghar Jal Certificates for completed rural water supply schemes. Additionally, 2691 water supply assets were geotagged during this event.
On October 3, 2026, during Special Gram Sabhas held across various States and Union Territories as part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, 346 Gram Panchayats observed Jal Arpan, a key reform under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0. This marked the formal handover of completed rural water supply schemes to Gram Panchayats and Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs). For the first time, the Jal Arpan module enabled the generation of Har Ghar Jal Certificates in regional languages for eligible Gram Panchayats and villages. A total of 346 certificates were issued to eligible rural communities.
The Jal Arpan Module now has provision for certificate generation in 17 regional languages including Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. This move aims to make the certification process more accessible and citizen-centric while further strengthening community ownership of drinking water services.
During the Jal Arpan celebrations, completed rural water supply schemes were handed over to Gram Panchayats and VWSCs for operation, maintenance, and long-term sustainability. Various activities such as Jal Sankalp, Jal Bandhan, water quality testing demonstrations, awareness programs, and recognition of community contributors were organized in several villages. In addition, 2691 water supply assets including around sources were geo-tagged across the country.
Digital governance and asset management are being strengthened under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 through geotagging water supply assets and piped water supply sources. This effort supports improved planning, monitoring, and long-term sustainability of rural water supply systems while creating a comprehensive digital inventory of drinking water assets.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
