TED NewsDesk, New Delhi. On Friday, the Union government commemorated the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi by launching a 100-day campaign to supply piped water to each school and Anganwadi Centre across the country. The government launched the campaign under the National Jal Jeevan Mission.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat kick-started the campaign in a “Swachh Bharat Diwas” event observed on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Jal Shakti Ministry launched the National Jal Jeevan Mission to supply piped potable water to everyone in the country by 2024.
Supporting the Jal Jeevan Mission during a recent function, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on the importance of providing clean drinking water to the children as they are most likely to fall ill due to contaminated water.
For the purpose, the Union government has asked the states and the union territories to come up with an outline. Additionally, some 15 lakh schools and 14 lakh Anganwadi Centres are chosen for the campaign.
The campaign will oversee the supply of safe drinking water in the designated schools, Anganwadi Centres etc. in the rural areas. The Gram Panchayats, Village Water and the Sanitation Committees will take over the functioning of these schools and Anganwadis.
The whole campaign will take place under the supervision of the Public Health Engineering Department of States. Other government bodies working with the Department are Gram Panchayats, Education, Woman & Child Welfare, Panchayati Raj & Rural Development and Tribal Welfare.
Many rural areas face either an acute shortage of water or the availability of contaminated water. It puts in risk the health of millions of men, women and children, causing the spread of diseases like Cholera, Typhoid and Diarrhea etc. The proposed campaign will help the government alleviate these problems as well as improve public healthcare.