NEW DELHI, INDIA / RankWire.AI / – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized India’s experiences in water management as a reference point for nations across the Global South. On October 6, he shared an article examining reforms implemented in Gujarat that later influenced national water initiatives. Modi highlighted that water security involves more than just physical infrastructure; planning, capable local systems, and community involvement are crucial components of effective water governance. The article showcases India’s experience as a practical example for countries facing increasing demand and pressure on water resources.
Tracing water governance reforms over approximately 25 years, the article begins with changes made in Gujarat during Modi’s tenure as chief minister. It distills four key lessons for developing economies, including enhanced governance, joint management of water resources and services, community ownership, and planning at scale. The approach is built around a framework that emphasizes political leadership, public financing, partnerships, and community participation. These ideas are linked to national programs covering drinking water, sanitation, groundwater management, river conservation, and water-use efficiency.
One indicator of the scale achieved by India’s national programs is the expansion of rural drinking water access. According to Jal Jeevan Mission data, approximately 15.91 crore rural households had tap-water connections as of August 10, 2026, compared to roughly 3.23 crore households at the launch of the program in 2019. The focus of the initiative is on 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-Oriented Goals
Union Cabinet approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 in March 2026, extending the program through December 2028. The revised initiative has an approved budget of ₹8.69 lakh crore, including ₹3.59 lakh crore in central aid. The government has shifted its focus toward ensuring reliable, adequate, and safe drinking water for rural households. States and union territories are required to develop integrated reform plans covering implementation, financing, and monitoring. The new structure emphasizes the importance of operating systems after construction and maintaining services sustainably over time.
A key element of the updated framework is Sujalam Bharat, a national digital platform for mapping rural piped-water networks from source to household tap. Each village is assigned a unique service-area identity under this system. It aims to enhance planning, asset management, and accountability for drinking-water projects. Community institutions continue to play vital roles, with village-level bodies and local governments involved in system management, service monitoring, and maintenance support under the broader rural water initiative.
Community-Based Management Remains Integral to Water Governance
The article shared by Modi asserts that water resources and water services should be managed in tandem. Infrastructure planning must consider the long-term availability of water sources, and local participation, including village-level institutions overseeing water services, is essential. This approach is reflected in current national reforms, which link service delivery with governance, digital monitoring, and local management. These elements form the core of India’s current water-governance strategy aimed at other developing nations.
India’s model does not rely on a single program but combines rural tap-water expansion with groundwater management, sanitation, conservation, and river-cleaning efforts. The article describes this integrated approach as a set of lessons rather than a one-size-fits-all blueprint for other countries. Modi’s remarks on October 6 echoed the same principle: water security depends on institutions, communities, and infrastructure alike. India’s latest reforms continue to pursue this path by pairing significant public investment with local management, digital oversight, and service standards.