NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized India’s experience in water governance as a valuable model for nations across the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article reviewing reforms initially introduced in Gujarat and later expanded through national programs. The piece highlights that dependable water services depend on effective governance, strategic planning, and community involvement alongside physical infrastructure. It also details how India combined public investment with community management and institutional reforms. This focus comes at a time when many developing countries are grappling with increasing demand, climate challenges, and disparities in access to safe water.
The article examines roughly 25 years of water policy evolution and extracts key lessons from India’s experience. It underscores the importance of robust institutions, integrated management of water resources and services, community ownership, and early planning for large-scale delivery. Additionally, it describes a framework centered on political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and public participation. These principles underpin various programs addressing drinking water, sanitation, groundwater, and conservation. Narendra Modi stated that the experience demonstrates that sustainable water security requires both infrastructure and capable local management systems.
India’s rural drinking-water initiative serves as a prominent example of this expansion. According to Jal Jeevan Mission data, approximately 15.91 crore rural households had tap-water connections by August 10, 2026. When the program launched in 2019, around 3.23 crore households had such connections. The mission aims to ensure functional household tap connections and reliable drinking-water services throughout rural India. Its current phase emphasizes service quality, system maintenance, and operational performance, shifting the focus from infrastructure count to ongoing service monitoring.
Jal Jeevan Mission broadens its scope to prioritize reliable water services
Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 in March 2026, extending the program through December 2028. The updated plan allocates ₹8.69 lakh crore, including ₹3.59 lakh crore in central assistance. The government has also instructed states and union territories to develop reform strategies focusing on implementation, financing, and monitoring. The new approach emphasizes operations and maintenance post-construction, linking funding to measurable service delivery, improved local management, and sustained access to safe drinking water.
Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 incorporates Sujalam Bharat, a nationwide digital platform for rural piped-water infrastructure. This system maps water sources to household taps and assigns each village a service-area identity. Officials anticipate that the platform will facilitate planning, asset management, and accountability. Local governments and village institutions continue to be central to daily management, with community groups helping oversee services, report issues, and support maintenance. This approach integrates digital oversight with local responsibility, viewing technology as a complement to community involvement rather than a substitute.
Decentralized management drives broader water reform efforts
The article shared by Modi advocates for the integrated management of water resources and services. This strategy links infrastructure decisions with the long-term availability of water for each system and places local institutions at the core of service delivery. India’s current reforms mirror this structure through village-level management, digital monitoring, and national funding. The model combines large-scale public programs with local oversight and connects access to drinking water with broader efforts 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 initiatives, sanitation projects, and conservation measures within a comprehensive policy framework. The reforms are presented as lessons for other developing nations to consider, rather than a universal blueprint. India’s latest strategies continue to link infrastructure investment with accountability, maintenance, and community participation. The current program maintains a focus on service reliability, making long-term system performance a critical indicator of rural water delivery.