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New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil on Friday launched the Sujal Gaon ID, a scheme‑based unique digital identifier that enables complete digital mapping of rural piped water supply assets.

The IDs were released by the Minister during a meeting with Ministers of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED)/Rural Water Supply (RWS) and Panchayati Raj Departments of States and Union Territories to discuss the implementation roadmap of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, said a statement.

For the first time in the country, every rural drinking water scheme is being assigned a digital identity, bringing the rural water supply system onto a unified national platform, he said.

So far, 1.64 lakh Sujal Gaon IDs across 31 States/ UTs have been created, linked to 67,000 Sujalam Bharat IDs.

Earlier, Paatil urged States to ensure the timely completion of schemes and strengthen on‑ground monitoring.

As water is a state subject, the success of the Mission rests on the accountability of State Governments in delivering a reliable tap water supply to rural households, he said.

V. Somanna, Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti, also attended the meeting.

He highlighted that delays in some States have arisen due to technical shortcomings and emphasised that any expenditure resulting from oversized or technically non-compliant works will have to be borne by the respective State Governments, noting that State funds are also public money and must therefore be used with the highest standards of vigilance and accountability.

He stressed strict adherence to approved technical specifications, expenditure limits and proper source assessment to ensure long‑term sustainability of rural water supply systems.

An official statement said that each Sujalam Bharat ID integrates the scheme’s infrastructure ID and service area ID, creating a comprehensive digital footprint of rural water service delivery.

This initiative marks a significant digital reform, a transformative, system‑changing step that strengthens transparency, monitoring and contributes to the vision of a technologically empowered Viksit Bharat @2047, it said.

--IANS

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