In August, the CAG found that the National Rural Drinking Water Programme had failed to meet its targets.
More than 163 million Indians – higher than the population of Russia – do not have access to safe drinking water, and the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, despite spending 90% of Rs 89,956 crore budget over five years to 2017, has “failed” its targets, according to an August 2018 report from the government’s auditor.
The programme’s target: providing 35% of rural households with water connections and 40 litre – about two buckets – of water per person per day. Less than half that target was achieved, thanks to “poor execution” and “weak contract management”, said the audit report from the Comptroller and Auditor General.
About 78% of 1.7 million rural Indian habitations have access to the minimum required quantity of water, 40 litre per person per day, but that does not mean they actually get this water, experts said. Nearly 18% of rural habitations get less than 40 litre per person per day under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, according to a July 2018 government response to Parliament.
National Rural Drinking Water Programme is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at providing every person in rural India with “adequate, safe water” for drinking, cooking and other domestic basic needs in a “sustainable manner”, according to the ministry of drinking water and sanitation website. The scheme provides financial and technical assistance to state governments to install rural drinking water connections.
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