Hazaribagh, March 20 (IANS) Pinky Rana, the village head of Kanchampur, a remote panchayat in the district, has become the talk of the town because of her stellar and commendable contribution to the Jal Jeevan Mission.

She undertook the task of delivering clean drinking water to 950 households within her panchayat and successfully accomplished it.

On March 11, she was honoured by President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, for her efforts and exemplary contribution to the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' and ensuring last-mile delivery in her village.

When she returned home after the Presidential honour, she was given a thunderous welcome by villagers.

She expressed gratitude and credited the villagers for their cooperation in achieving the difficult task. She said that collective community effort was primarily the reason behind the accomplishment of this commendable feat.

She explained that a monthly contribution of Rs 62 is deposited into a bank account from every household in the village; these funds are earmarked for the maintenance of the village's water tower, should it ever require repairs.

Kanchanpur Panchayat has three villages: Kanchanpur, Hedlag, and Govindpur. Today, clean and filtered water is reaching approximately 950 households across all these villages.

Pinky Rana began working towards this challenge in 2023, and through three years of relentless effort, strategic planning, and community cooperation, she achieved this goal of connecting every household with the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Speaking to IANS, Pinky Rana described it as a moment of immense pride.

She shared her happiness on getting recognised and honoured by the President and stated that this accolade not only bolstered her own morale but also served as an inspiration for other elected representatives to implement government schemes on the ground with honesty and dedication.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she stated that special emphasis has been placed on strengthening Gram Panchayats, and a wave of development is sweeping through every single Panchayat.

She highlighted that the greatest strength of this scheme lies in community participation.

A sum of Rs 62.50 is deposited into a bank account every month from every household within the Panchayat. This amount is utilised for the maintenance and repair of water towers and filtration systems, thereby ensuring that this infrastructure continues to function without interruption for years to come.

Water is supplied to the village from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 AM and from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, allowing residents to store sufficient water in their homes for their daily needs.

Notably, the Jal Jeevan Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019, with a vision of providing tap water to every rural household. At that time, only 3.23 crore households had access to tap water.

According to estimates last year, more than 12.48 crore additional households were given tap water connections, marking one of the fastest expansions of basic infrastructure in rural India.

--IANS

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