Jal Jeevan mission 2.0 to cover all AP rural homes by 2028

Vijayawada: Chairman of the Twenty Point Programme Implementation (Viksit Bharat – Swarna Andhra Pradesh), Lanka Dinakar, said the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 will be pivotal in ensuring sustainable and safe drinking water supply to every rural household in Andhra Pradesh through tap connections by Dec 2028.Speaking to the media on Monday, Dinakar noted that the Centre, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, approved the expansion of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 with an outlay of ₹8.69 lakh crore to provide safe drinking water to all rural households nationwide. The initiative aims to strengthen public health and improve living standards by guaranteeing clean and reliable tap water in villages.Dinakar said chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has taken corrective steps to address shortcomings in the state's implementation of the mission between 2019 and 2024, with a commitment to building a healthy Swarna Andhra. With Centre's support, the state government is working to ensure tap water supply to nearly 96 lakh rural households.He added that deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan has already initiated works in West Prakasam (Markapuram) and East Godavari districts, based on long-term water resource availability. Similar projects are expected to accelerate across the state under JJM 2.0.Dinakar alleged that unplanned governance and erratic decisions during the previous YSRCP regime led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inflated project costs to ₹81,000 crore, up from the initial estimate of ₹26,000 crore, while progress remained slow between 2019 and 2024.According to official data, while national tap water coverage rose significantly under the mission, Andhra Pradesh saw only marginal growth during that period. The previous govt claimed over 70% completion despite spending only ₹2,000 crore of the estimated ₹26,000 crore.Dinakar said that after the coalition govt assumed office in 2024, corrective measures were initiated and the project timeline was extended to Dec 2028. The mission will now focus on strengthening water sources, storage, purification systems, and durable pipelines to ensure sustainable supply.Highlighting the social impact, he said studies show the mission has reduced the burden on rural women who earlier fetched water from distant places, enabling them to devote more time to education, health, and economic activities. He added that the initiative will help build healthier rural communities and strengthen livelihoods while contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat.