NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spotlighted India’s experience in water management as a model for nations in the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article that examined reforms initiated in Gujarat and how they influenced national water policies. Modi emphasized that water security involves more than just physical infrastructure. He highlighted the importance of planning, capable local systems, and community involvement as vital components of effective water management. The article portrays India’s approach as a practical example for countries facing increasing demand and mounting pressure on water resources.
The article charts the evolution of water governance over approximately 25 years, beginning with reforms in Gujarat during Modi’s time as chief minister. It distills four key lessons for developing economies. These include strengthening governance, managing water resources and services collectively, fostering community ownership, and planning for scale. The framework also relies on political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and public participation. The article connects these principles to national initiatives covering drinking water, sanitation, groundwater management, river conservation, and water-use efficiency.
India’s rural drinking-water expansion offers a glimpse into the scale achieved by these national programmes. According to Jal Jeevan Mission data, around 15.91 crore rural households had tap-water connections as of August 10, 2026. This compares with roughly 3.23 crore households when the mission launched in 2019. The programme prioritizes providing functional household tap connections to rural families. Its current phase emphasizes service quality, reliability, and long-term maintenance over infrastructure development alone.
Jal Jeevan Mission Advances Toward Service-Focused Goals
Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 in March 2026, extending its duration through December 2028. The revised plan allocates a total of ₹8.69 lakh crore, including ₹3.59 lakh crore in central assistance. The government shifted its focus toward delivering reliable, sufficient, and safe drinking water to rural households. States and union territories are required to prepare integrated reform plans covering implementation, financing, and monitoring. The new structure emphasizes operating systems after infrastructure is built and maintaining services over the long term.
A key component of the updated framework is Sujalam Bharat, a national digital platform designed to map rural piped-water networks from source to household tap. Each village receives a unique service-area identity under this system. It aims to improve planning, asset management, and accountability across water schemes. Community institutions continue to play a role in the system’s operation. Village bodies and local governments are involved in managing systems, monitoring service quality, and supporting maintenance within the broader rural water scheme.
Community Participation Remains Central to Water Management
The article shared by Modi advocates that water resources and water services should be managed together. Infrastructure planning must consider the long-term availability of water feeding those systems. It also underscores the importance of local participation, including institutions capable of overseeing village-level water services. This same approach is reflected in current national reforms, which link service delivery with governance, digital monitoring, and local management. These elements form the core message of India’s current water-governance strategy for other developing nations.
India’s model is not based on a single programme. It combines rural tap-water expansion with groundwater management, sanitation efforts, conservation, and river-cleaning projects. The article describes this combination as a set of lessons rather than a one-size-fits-all blueprint for other countries. Modi’s October 6 comments reiterated that water security depends on strong institutions and engaged communities, alongside infrastructure. India’s latest reforms continue to follow this principle by pairing significant public investment with local management, digital oversight, and service standards.