NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized India’s experience in water governance as a valuable example for nations in the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article reviewing reforms initially implemented in Gujarat and later expanded through nationwide initiatives. The article explains that dependable water services are rooted in effective governance, strategic planning, and local community involvement, alongside physical infrastructure development. It also describes how India integrated public investments with community management and institutional reforms. This focus comes at a time when many developing countries are confronting increasing demand, climate challenges, and disparities in access to safe water.
The article examines approximately 25 years of water policy evolution and extracts several key lessons from India’s journey. It highlights the importance of strengthening institutions, adopting integrated management of water resources and services, fostering community ownership, and early planning for large-scale delivery. The framework described relies on political leadership, public funding, partnerships, and active public participation. These principles underpin programs related to drinking water, sanitation, groundwater management, and conservation efforts. Narendra Modi stated that the Indian experience demonstrates that achieving durable water security requires both physical infrastructure and capable local management systems.
India’s rural drinking-water initiative exemplifies this approach. Data from Jal Jeevan Mission indicated that about 15.91 crore rural households had access to tap-water connections as of August 10, 2026. At the start of the program in 2019, approximately 3.23 crore households had such connections. The mission’s goal is to ensure functional household tap connections and consistent drinking-water services across rural areas. Its latest phase emphasizes service quality, system maintenance, and overall performance, reflecting a shift from merely counting infrastructure to actively monitoring whether water services remain operational and effective.
Jal Jeevan Mission broadens its focus to ensure reliable water services
Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 in March 2026, extending the program through December 2028. The revised initiative has an approved budget of ₹8.69 lakh crore, including ₹3.59 lakh crore in central assistance. The government has instructed states and union territories to develop reform plans addressing implementation, financing, and monitoring. The updated framework emphasizes operation and maintenance after infrastructure construction and links funding to measurable service delivery, enhanced local management, and sustained access to safe drinking water.
Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 introduces Sujalam Bharat, a comprehensive digital platform for rural piped-water infrastructure. This system maps water sources to household taps and assigns each village a service-area identity. Officials expect the platform to improve planning, asset management, and accountability. Local governments and village institutions continue to play a central role in day-to-day management, with community groups helping oversee services, report issues, and support maintenance efforts. This approach combines digital oversight with local responsibility, viewing technology as an aid rather than a replacement for community participation.
Decentralized management supports broader water reform efforts
The article shared by Modi emphasizes that countries should coordinate water resource management with service delivery. This strategy links infrastructure choices to the long-term sustainability of water supplies for each system and places local institutions at the heart of service provision. India’s ongoing reforms reflect this model through village-level governance, digital monitoring, and national funding programs. The approach combines large-scale public projects with community oversight and ties rural water access to broader initiatives in groundwater management, sanitation, conservation, and river restoration.
India’s water governance system does not depend on a single scheme. Instead, it integrates household tap connections, groundwater management, sanitation measures, and conservation strategies under a comprehensive policy framework. The article presents these reforms as valuable lessons for other developing nations, not as a one-size-fits-all solution. India’s latest policies continue to link infrastructure investments with accountability, maintenance, and community involvement. The current program also prioritizes service reliability, making long-term system performance a key indicator of rural water delivery success.