The Centre has signed separate reform-linked agreements with Mizoram and Ladakh under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, shifting the focus of rural drinking water programmes from infrastructure creation to long-term service delivery and community-led management. According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) establish a service-based framework for transparent rural water governance, with gram panchayats playing a key role in the operation and maintenance of drinking water assets.
The agreements were signed virtually in the presence of CR Patil and Minister of State V Somanna. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena also attended the signing ceremony. The ministry said the next phase of the mission would prioritise sustainable village-level water services, accountability, water quality monitoring and local participation. Patil said the agreements support the Centre’s target of providing functional tap water connections to all rural households by 2028.
Mizoram has emerged as one of the top-performing states under the scheme, with more than 1.33 lakh rural households receiving tap water connections. The state has also covered all rural schools and anganwadi centres under the network and expanded water testing infrastructure with 28 laboratories, including several NABL-accredited facilities.
