Bhubaneswar, Feb 10 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday directed the senior officials to ensure piped drinking water supply to all villages in the state by March 2027.

While reviewing the rural drinking water supply system of the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department at Lok Seva Bhavan here on Tuesday, CM Majhi instructed the department to implement the programme in mission mode and advised the officials to give special focus on completing the projects within the stipulated timeline so that drinking water facilities reach every village.

The Chief Minister also laid special emphasis on the piped drinking water facility in tribal-dominated areas during the review meeting.

CM Majhi also advised the officials to pay special attention to ensuring that no revenue village in the state is left out of the drinking water supply coverage.

According to an official statement, out of the 46,531 villages in the state, 21,721 villages currently have access to a piped drinking water supply.

Additionally, several projects, including solar-powered schemes and mega drinking water projects, are under various stages of implementation.

The Chief Minister has set a target to complete all ongoing projects at the earliest and ensure piped water supply to all villages by March 2027.

The state government has planned an investment of Rs 54,000 crore to complete piped drinking water supply coverage across Odisha.

Of this, Rs 32,128 crore has been allocated under the Jal Jeevan Mission, while the remaining Rs 21,109 crore is being funded from the State’s own resources.

The state government further informed that between 2017 and June 12, 2024, only three mega drinking water projects were completed in the state.

However, during the period from June 2024 to date, 23 mega drinking water projects have been completed.

Similarly, over the last 20 months since June 2024, the state has completed 2,951 Single Village Projects (SVPs) and 2,702 solar-powered drinking water projects, while 26,137 tube wells have been installed across Odisha.

–IANS

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