National Rural Drinking Water Programme
Recently, the Union Cabinet has accorded its approval for continuation and restructuring of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). The revamping is aimed to make it outcome-based, competitive and better monitored with increased focus on sustainability (functionality) of schemes to ensure good quality service delivery to the rural population.
Restructuring
A sum of Rs. 23,050 crore has been approved for the programme for the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC) period 2017-18 to 2019-20.
The programme will cover all the Rural Population across the country.
The restructuring will make the programme flexible, result-oriented, competitive, and will enable the Ministry towards to reach the goal of increasing coverage of sustainable Piped Water Supply.
National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) is to be continued co-terminus with the 14th Finance Commission cycle till March 2020.
There will be 2% earmarking of funds for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) /Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) affected areas.
A new Sub-programme under NRDWP viz. National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM) which has been started by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation will address the urgent need for providing clean drinking water in about 28000 Arsenic & Fluoride affected habitations.
NRDWP
The NRDWP was started in 2009, with a major emphasis on ensuring sustainability (source) of water availability in terms of potability, adequacy, convenience, affordability and equity.
NRDWP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with 50:50 fund sharing between the Centre and the States.
