Expenditure worth Rs 3 trillion on providing tap water likely to be introduced in Budget 2021

The Government of India is expected to spend Rs 3 trillion ($41 billion) on making sure that tap water is delivered to every household in the next five years, according to sources close to the matter.

This plan is still under review is likely to be announced on 1st February, a day auspicious to the union budget being declared. The budget is put into action from 1st April with the beginning of the new financial year.

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The government’s decision to spend this money comes with wanting to improve the availability of water throughout the country, modernize sewage treatment plants and better utilize the country’s water resources, said people who don’t want to be identified as the proposal is not yet public.

This project will fall under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Jal Jeevan Mission.

Shortage of water especially in remote areas of the country has been a perennial problem until now. This would help improve the quality of living of citizens and transform India’s infrastructure. It is important to note that most of India’s informal structure does not have access to registered housing. Therefore, to build pipelines throughout the country would require steady construction.

This could also mean the generation of jobs and contracts which is an immediate need as the country struggles to revive itself from the pandemic-induced lockdown that led to economic decimation.

A finance ministry spokesman was not immediately available to respond on the matter, Livemint reported.

The Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1st February. The budget will be paperless this financial year due to the extreme circumstances of COVID-19.