The Maharashtra government has approved a Rs 13,669-crore plan to provide piped water supply to all households in the next four years. The plan, approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, July 8, aims to provide new water connections to over 89.25 lakh households by 2024.

At present, only 50.75 households of the total 132.03 lakh households in the state have piped water connection. The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ will cost Rs 13,669 crore and will be jointly undertaken by the state and the central governments as a 50:50 partnership, reported The Indian Express.

To roll out the project, a base line survey at the village level will soon be conducted, officials said. In addition to setting up a separate fund at the state-level to meet the required expenses, the government has also planned to crowdfund 10 per cent of the expenditure for setting up basic infrastructure from the communities that would benefit from it.

Meanwhile, the state cabinet has also approved the extension of the deadline to provide Shiv Bhojan meals at Rs 5 for the next three months. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government had reduced the rate of meals from Rs 10 to Rs 5 on March 30 to provide subsidised meals to migrant labourers and the poor across the state.

In addition, the cabinet has also extended the supply of wheat and rice at subsidised rates for two months to orange ration cardholders. Earlier, the state had decided to provide wheat and rice at subsidised rates for two months – May and June, and has now been extended to July and August.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: CM Launches 12 Piped Water Projects To Supply Water To Every Household In Bundelkhand