The Budget has enhanced the allocation for rural drinking water schemes and launched a new programme for providing tap water in urban areas under the Jal Jeevan mission piloted by the Ministry of Jalshakti.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), the government would seek to provide universal water supply in 2.86 crore households in 4,378 urban local bodies across the country over the next five years. The government has proposed an allocation of ₹2,87,000 crore for the mission, which would also take care of liquid waste in 500 AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) cities.
To ensure cleanliness in urban areas, the government plans to spend ₹1,41,678 crore over the next five years for wastewater and faecal sludge treatment, source segregation of garbage and reduction in single-use plastic. In addition, ₹2,217 crore is planned for fighting air pollution in 42 Indian cities with a million or more population in 2021-22. Under the National Clean Air Programme, the funds earmarked in the current fiscal was ₹4,400 crore.