Jharkhand News : Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting at the Jharkhand Secretariat regarding the progress of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and directed officials to accelerate the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission. He stated that ensuring safe piped drinking water to every household in the state remains the government’s top priority and must be achieved within the stipulated timeline.
The Chief Minister emphasized that there will be zero tolerance for negligence in the operation and maintenance of drinking water schemes. He instructed officials to closely monitor water-scarce areas and ensure immediate action wherever supply issues are reported.
He also directed that water sakhis be provided plumber training through ITIs and given greater responsibility in repairing defunct handpumps and maintaining solar-based water supply systems. He further stressed recognizing and honoring those water sakhis who perform exceptionally well.
To improve monitoring of ongoing projects, the Chief Minister suggested creating WhatsApp groups of contractors for daily progress updates. He said that schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission are directly linked to people’s lives, and therefore must be executed with speed and transparency.
Soren also highlighted the importance of water conservation, rainwater harvesting, construction of soak pits, and long-term strategies to improve groundwater levels. He directed that defunct handpumps be converted into recharge pits to support groundwater replenishment and stressed ensuring water quality across all supply systems.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister reviewed various schemes including Jal Jeevan Mission, water quality monitoring programs, Har Ghar Jal scheme, sanitation initiatives, solid and liquid waste management, and other departmental projects.
The meeting was attended by Water Resources Minister Yogendra Prasad, Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar, Development Commissioner Ajay Kumar Singh, and senior officials of the department.
