New Delhi, March 13 (IANS). Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil launched ‘Sujal Gaon ID’ on Friday. It is a scheme-based unique digital identity, which helps in complete digital mapping of rural piped water supply.
According to a statement, the ID was released by the minister during a meeting with ministers of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Rural Water Supply (RWS) and Panchayati Raj departments of states and Union Territories to discuss the implementation roadmap of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
He said that for the first time in the country, each rural drinking water scheme is being assigned a digital identity, which will bring the rural water supply system on a unified national platform. So far, 1.64 lakh Sujlam Gaon IDs have been created in 31 states and union territories, which are linked to 67,000 Sujlam Bharat IDs.
Earlier, Patil had urged states to complete the schemes on time and strengthen monitoring at the ground level.
He said that water is a state subject, hence the success of the mission depends on the accountability of the state governments in ensuring reliable tap water supply to rural households. Minister of State for Jal Shakti Ministry V. Somanna was also present in the meeting.
He highlighted that delays have occurred due to technical glitches in some States and stressed that any expenditure resulting from excessively large or technically non-conforming works will have to be borne by the respective State Governments, noting that State funds are also public money and hence should be used with the highest level of vigilance and accountability.
He stressed on strict adherence to approved technical specifications, expenditure limits and proper source assessment to ensure long-term sustainability of rural water supply systems.
Each Sujalam Bharat ID scheme integrates the infrastructure ID and service area ID, creating a comprehensive digital footprint of rural water service delivery, an official statement said.
It said this initiative is a significant digital reform and a transformational step, which strengthens transparency and oversight and contributes to the vision of a technologically empowered India 2047.
–IANS
ASH/ABM