Jal Arpan: Over 1,850 Villages Take Charge of Their Water Supply Schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
On Gandhi Jayanti (2 October 2026), more than 1,850 Gram Panchayats and villages observed Jal Arpan during Special Gram Sabhas (village assembly meetings) held across States and Union Territories.
Jal Arpan is a key reform under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0. It is the formal handover of completed rural drinking water schemes to Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), so that the village community runs and looks after them.
346 Har Ghar Jal certificates were generated for eligible villages and Gram Panchayats. For the first time, these certificates were issued in Hindi, English and 17 other regional languages.
Under the Sujalam Bharat digital framework, 2,691 water supply assets, including about 700 water sources, were geo-tagged (marked with their exact location on a digital map) on the same day.
JJM has so far provided tap water connections to more than 15.96 crore rural households, over 82% of all rural households.
The Jal Arpan meetings were part of more than 2.42 lakh Special Gram Sabhas held on Gandhi Jayanti, which also launched the People's Plan Campaign 2026-27 for preparing village development plans.
Jal Jeevan Mission
The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is the Government of India's programme to give every rural household a working tap connection that supplies safe drinking water in enough quantity, regularly and over the long term. Its slogan is "Har Ghar Jal" (water to every home). It is run by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It began on 15 August 2019, and in 2026 it was extended up to December 2028 as JJM 2.0.
Jal Arpan is the JJM 2.0 step where a completed scheme is formally handed to the Gram Panchayat and the VWSC, so the village owns and runs it. By doing it in Special Gram Sabhas on Gandhi Jayanti, along with Har Ghar Jal certificates and geo-tagging of assets, the mission is shifting from laying pipes to making sure the community keeps the water flowing.
Gram Sabha
The Gram Sabha is the assembly of all adult voters of a village. Every person whose name is on the electoral roll (voter list) of the village panchayat area is automatically a member. It is the foundation of the Panchayati Raj system and the only body in India's government where citizens take part directly, without electing someone to speak for them. The Constitution defines it in Article 243(b) and gives it a role through Article 243A.
The Jal Arpan handovers took place in Special Gram Sabhas on Gandhi Jayanti, one of the four days when Gram Sabhas are encouraged to meet. This shows the Gram Sabha's role in practice: the village assembly accepts the water scheme, certifies Har Ghar Jal status, and holds its own VWSC responsible for running it.
- Date: 2 October 2026 (Gandhi Jayanti), Special Gram Sabhas across States/UTs
- Villages/Gram Panchayats observing Jal Arpan: more than 1,850
- Har Ghar Jal certificates generated: 346, in Hindi, English and 17 other regional languages
- Water supply assets geo-tagged under Sujalam Bharat: 2,691, including about 700 sources
- Rural households with tap connections: over 15.96 crore (over 82%)
- Special Gram Sabhas held on Gandhi Jayanti 2026: over 2.42 lakh (People's Plan Campaign 2026-27 launched)
- JJM 2.0: extended to December 2028; outlay Rs 8.69 lakh crore; target 19.36 crore rural households
- JJM service standard: 55 lpcd; water quality standard: BIS IS 10500:2012