NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized India’s experience in water governance as a valuable reference point for nations across the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article that examined reforms initially developed in Gujarat and later scaled through national initiatives. According to the article, dependable water services rely not only on physical infrastructure but also on effective governance, strategic planning, and active community involvement. It highlighted how India combined public investment with community management and institutional reforms. This focus comes at a time when many developing nations face increasing demand, climate challenges, and disparities in access to safe water.
The article reviews approximately 25 years of water policy evolution and extracts several lessons from India’s approach. It underscores the importance of robust institutions, integrated management of water resources and services, community ownership, and early planning for large-scale delivery systems. Furthermore, it describes a framework centered on political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and citizen participation. These principles have been evident across programs targeting drinking water, sanitation, groundwater, and conservation efforts. Narendra Modi noted that the experience demonstrates that lasting water security depends on both infrastructure development and capable local management systems.
A key example of this expansion is India’s rural drinking-water initiative. Data from Jal Jeevan Mission indicated that about 15.91 crore rural households had tap-water connections as of August 10, 2026. When the program launched in 2019, around 3.23 crore households had such connections. The mission’s goal is to ensure functional household tap connections and reliable drinking-water services across rural areas. Its latest phase emphasizes service quality, system maintenance, and performance, reflecting a shift from merely counting infrastructure to monitoring ongoing water service functionality.
Jal Jeevan Mission broadens focus on dependable 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 also directed states and union territories to develop reform plans covering implementation, financing, and monitoring. The new framework emphasizes operations 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 nationwide digital platform for rural piped-water systems. This system maps water sources to household taps and assigns each village a service-area identity. Officials expect the platform to aid in planning, asset management, and accountability. Local governments and community institutions continue to play a central role in daily operations. Community groups can oversee services, report issues, and support maintenance efforts. This approach integrates digital oversight with local responsibility, avoiding reliance solely on technology and ensuring community participation remains vital.
Decentralized management supports broader water reforms
The article shared by Modi advocates for integrated management of water resources and services. This approach links infrastructure decisions directly with the long-term sustainability of water supplies. It also emphasizes the importance of empowering local institutions in service delivery. India’s current reforms follow this model through village-level management, digital monitoring, and national funding mechanisms. The strategy combines large-scale public programs with local oversight and connects drinking-water access to wider efforts in groundwater management, sanitation, conservation, and river restoration.
India’s water governance structure does not depend on a single scheme. Instead, it integrates household tap connections, groundwater initiatives, sanitation projects, and conservation measures under a comprehensive policy approach. The article presents these reforms as lessons for other developing nations to consider, rather than a one-size-fits-all model. India’s latest strategies continue to link infrastructure investment with accountability, maintenance, and community engagement. The current program prioritizes service reliability, making long-term system performance a key indicator of rural water delivery success.