New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS): Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday said that the Union government is committed towards the development of northeast and its impact is visible in the lives of the people of the region.

In his address to a regional conference of ministers of the northeastern region on Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) at Guwahati, he said that the states must emphasise quantity, quality, and sustainability be maintained while implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission in the region, while appreciating the efforts for implementation in their region.

He said that Manipur, Meghalaya, and Sikkim aim to achieve Har Ghar Jal in 2022 only, while the deadline set by Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Nagaland is 2023, and Assam aims to meet the goal in 2024.

"Under Jal Jeevan Mission, the idea is not just to install a tap in every rural household but to ensure the service delivery and long term sustainability and it is the duty of the authorities to continuously monitor and ensure it," Shekhawat said.

Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Vini Mahajan said that the Ministry is working towards ensuring that every rural household in every village of the country receives clean tap water supply by the end of 2024.

The Jal Shakti Ministry claimed that since the announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15 2019, significant progress is made across the country and as on date more than nine crore rural households are provided with tap water connections.

The regional conference focusing on important issues pertaining to implementation of the programmes saw senior officials from the Central and state governments participating.