Question : Access to Safe Drinking Water

(a) the number of villages in the country which have access to safe drinking water and the number of them which do not have access to safe drinking water, State-wise;
(b) whether the Government has stressed on the need for a water literacy campaign to end the drinking water scarcity in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is encouraging community driven decentralised water management system, if so, the details thereof and steps being taken in this regard along with the results yielded; and
(d) if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
(SHRI RAMESH CHANDAPPA JIGAJINAGI)
(a) Under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), this Ministry maintains data regarding coverage of drinking water supply in terms of number of habitations and not in terms of number of villages. The State-wise details of habitations which have and the habitations which do not have access to safe drinking water is at Annexure-I.
(b) Yes Madam. Media campaigns are being carried out at National level using Audio Visual (TV) and Audio (Radio) to educate people on the importance of water, its judicious usage and necessity of its optimum use and conservation. States are also carrying out IEC campaign through hoardings, wall writing, slogans, picture frames, group meetings, street plays, participatory rural appraisal and exhibitions towards furthering water literacy among rural population. Moreover, training of members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) / Gram Panchayat Water & Sanitation Committee (GPWSC), Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC) on water quality are carried out by the States. Further, interpersonal communication on water quality issues including health related diseases is also carried out by the States. Above all, every year World Water Day is observed on 22nd March by the states in which campaign on water literacy is carried out stressing upon the need of drinking water management.
(c) & (d) Yes Madam. For this, there is a provision of allocation of 10 % NRDWP fund on ‘rural population managing rural drinking water supply schemes weighted by a Management Devolution Index (MDI)’. Every year a survey is carried out by an independent agency. Based on same, this component of allocation of funds / releases are made. State-wise details of funds released under MDI during year 2015-16 are at Annexure – II.