TN, Centre sign MoU for Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 implementation

₹2,177 cr first tranche to be released for extended rural drinking water scheme till 2028Chennai: Tamil Nadu govt and the Union govt on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding for the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, paving the way for the release of ₹2,177 cr as the first tranche of central funds for the extended phase of the rural drinking water scheme.The MoU was signed in the presence of chief minister C Joseph Vijay, who participated from Chennai through video conferencing, and Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil, who joined from New Delhi. The agreement pertains to the extended implementation period of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 till Dec 2028.The first phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission was implemented between 2019 and 2024. Under the scheme, TN provided 46.71 lakh functional households tap connections benefiting 1.86crore people, according to the govt.As part of the implementation, 45 new multi village schemes, 56 retrofitting combined water supply schemes and 21,258 single village schemes are under execution in the state.The total approved outlay for the first phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission in TN stood at ₹18123crore, of which the Union govt’s share was ₹9025crore and the state govt’s contribution was ₹9097crore.The release said the extension of the scheme till 2028 reaffirmed the commitment of both the Union and Tamil Nadu govts to ensure safe, adequate and sustainable drinking water supply to all rural households.Chief Secretary of TN Sai Kumar and senior officials from state and Union ministry participated in the event along with senior officials.