Steel can play crucial role in Jal Jeevan Mission, says Pradhan

New Delhi: Steel can play a key role in achieving the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Wednesday.

Announced in the Union Budget, the Jal Jeevan Mission envisages to provide potable water to every rural household by 2024.

In a letter to Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Pradhan highlighted the role steel can play in Jal Jeevan Mission, and called for convergence between the two ministries for achieving the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission.

Steel minister Pradhan outlined various properties of the metal like corrosion resistance, greater life span, less replacement cost etc, which makes it an ideal material for transportation of potable as well as industrial water.

He also noted the benefits of usage of steel in water sector in terms of reducing leakages and thus contamination, paving way for greater control over water borne diseases.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for water conservation and has appealed to civil society to come together for Jan Shakti se Jal Shakti campaign.

"The vision of Jal Jeevan Mission is to ensure Har Ghar Jal (potable water to every household) to every rural household by 2024. I have confidence in the leadership of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to achieve this goal," Pradhan, who also holds portfolio of Petroleum & Natural Gas, said in the letter.

The government's aim is to provide clean and piped drinking water to every household in the country.

The Jal Shakti Ministry has been earmarked Rs 28,261.59 crore in the budget 2019-20.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation have been merged into the Jal Shakti Ministry under the second term of the Modi-led government.

The Jal Shakti ministry will look at the management of the country's water resources and supply in an integrated and holistic manner, and will work with states to ensure Har Ghar Jal (piped water supply) to all rural households by 2024 under the ministry's Jal Jeevan Mission.

The government has also identified 1,592 blocks which are critical and overexploited, spread across 256 districts for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.