The Union cabinet on Monday approved the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) until December 2028, with a revised total outlay of Rs 8.69 lakh crore, as the government seeks to shift the rural drinking water programme from infrastructure creation to a service delivery–driven model under JJM 2.0.Under the revised framework, the Centre’s financial support will increase to Rs 3.59 lakh crore, up from Rs 2.08 lakh crore approved in 2019-20, implying an additional central share of Rs 1.51 lakh crore.The government said the restructured mission will focus on drinking water governance, institutional systems and sustainable service delivery, moving beyond the earlier infrastructure-centric approach.As part of the reforms, a national digital framework called “Sujalam Bharat” will be introduced. Under this system, each village will receive a unique “Sujal Gaon/Service Area ID”, digitally mapping the entire drinking water supply network from source to household tap.The programme will also introduce “Jal Arpan”, under which Gram Panchayats (GPs) and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) will participate in the commissioning and formal handover of water supply schemes to improve transparency and accountability.A Gram Panchayat will declare itself “Har Ghar Jal” only after certifying that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms are in place, the government said.To strengthen community ownership, the mission will also promote “Jal Utsav”, an annual community-led review and maintenance event aimed at reinforcing collective responsibility for sustainable drinking water management.The government said the scheme has already made significant progress since its launch in 2019.From a baseline of 3.23 crore rural households (17%) with tap water connections in 2019, more than 12.56 crore additional rural households have received tap water connections under the mission.Currently, 15.80 crore out of 19.36 crore rural households in the country — about 81.61%–have tap water connections, according to official data.Several independent studies have also highlighted the wider impact of the programme.SBI Research estimated that the mission has freed about 9 crore women from the burden of fetching water, allowing them to participate in other economic activities.The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that improved water access under the programme has helped save 5.5 crore hours of women’s labour every day, prevented around 4 lakh diarrhoeal deaths, and resulted in savings of 14 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).According to Nobel laureate Prof Michael Kremer, the programme could contribute to a 30% reduction in under-five mortality, potentially saving about 1.36 lakh lives annually.Studies by IIM Bangalore and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that the mission could generate 59.9 lakh direct and 2.2 crore indirect person-years of employment, boosting rural livelihoods.Under JJM 2.0, the government aims to ensure tap water connections for all 19.36 crore rural households by December 2028, while strengthening sustainability, community participation and citizen-centric water services.The programme is also aligned with the broader Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, which seeks to move towards assured 24×7 rural drinking water supply through structural reforms and a utility-style service delivery framework.The mission will also adopt a “whole-of-government” approach, with multiple ministries and departments working together to ensure long-term operation, maintenance and source sustainability of rural water supply systems, the government said.