Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil today said the government is committed to ensuring safe and sustainable drinking water for every rural household in India. Speaking during the question hours on Rajya Sabha, the Minister said that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, more than 16 crore families are benefiting from clean and safe drinking water at their doorstep. He informed that the mission has made unprecedented strides, with over 80% of rural households now having access to tap water connections. The Minister said that according to the WHO report, around 8.4 lakh crore have been saved by providing tap drinking water to households.

Under the Mission, the Minister informed that 25 lakh women have been trained to test water quality using field testing kits. He added that this initiative has strengthened community-led monitoring, ensuring that water reaching households meets quality standards. On the issue of incidents of contaminated water in Indore and Gandhinagar, the Minister said they are isolated cases, and the state government is taking appropriate action in this regard.