New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS): The 'Har Ghar Jal Yojana' of the Ministry of Jal Shakti has achieved a significant milestone of providing tap water to over five crore (5,00,09,340) new rural households.

With this achievement, about 8.24 crore rural households (42.83 per cent) have started getting pure drinking water in sufficient quantity through taps, a ministry release said.

As many as 1,15,278 villages of 919 blocks across the country have become 'Har Ghar Jal Gaon'. On August 15, 2019, only about 3.23 crore (about 17 per cent) households were getting tap water, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Expressing happiness over the feat, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, "This has been achieved in collaboration with the states."

He said the Jal Jeevan Mission team is working steadfastly with the states to fulfil the goal set by the Prime Minister. The mission is moving ahead faster than the deadline set for providing pure drinking water to every household in rural India.

"Today, we can take pride in the fact that in about 25 months, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has crossed the mark of providing five crore new tap connections with the help of the states. Every connection is being geotagged with the Aadhaar of the head of the family," Shekhawat said.

Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Puducherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu have already become 'Har Ghar Jal' state/UT under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Twenty-one out of the 22 districts in Haryana have achieved the target of 'Har Ghar Jal', and soon the state will also be included in this list.