Jal Jeevan Mission unveils Citizen Corner for direct community control over Water Quality

Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, launched the “Citizen Corner” on the Jal Jeevan Mission’s dynamic dashboard, a move in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of inclusive development. This user-friendly tool offers real-time insights into a village’s water quality and supply at the click of a button. Launched during a two-day national workshop in Lucknow, the “Citizen Corner” enables individuals to voice water quality concerns through an online form or a toll-free number. It also allows citizens to manage water quality, locate testing labs, and book tests seamlessly. The initiative, coined ‘Stay Informed, Stay Empowered,’ bridges the gap between information and action, enhancing transparency and ease for Gram Panchayats and rural households.

The dynamic dashboard of Jal Jeevan Mission ‘Citizen Corner’ is a one-stop solution with an easy interface with real-time details on water quality of a village and all other water supply information at the click of a button and puts the ability to manage water quality and supply directly into the hands of the citizens. Citizen Corner was launched at the two-day national workshop organised at Lucknow in the presence of Shri Swatantra Dev Singh, Jal Shakti Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Smt Vini Mahajan, Secretary-DDWS, Shri Chandra Bhushan Kumar, AS&MD-NJJM, Shri Jitendra Srivastava, JS&MD-SBMG, Shri Anurag Srivastava, Principal Secretary – Govt. of Uttar Pradesh and Shri Ravi Kishan, a popular actor and Member of the Lok Sabha, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

This initiative is a significant step towards transparency and accountability in water management as it allows people to raise concerns about water quality through an online complaint form or a toll-free number provided by States/ UTs. This citizen centric tool on the Jal Jeevan Mission Dashboard enables and empowers citizens to manage water quality and help them locate the nearest water testing laboratory for quality test and check the rate list for chemical and bacteriological parameters, and even book a test seamlessly. If they discover that the water quality is not within the prescribed limits, they can now lodge a complaint and bring it to the attention of water supply department of their district.

Initiated with the idea of ‘Stay Informed, Stay Empowered’, Citizen Corner facilitates real-time access to information about water quality that not only empowers a common man with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about water safety but also adds to the confidence of the people for effective water management. As knowledge and information are key to building confidence, the ‘Citizen Corner’ serves as the bridge between information and action. The inclusion of the ‘Citizen Corner’ has granted citizens the power to monitor and check water quality, while also, allowing for quick grievance redressal system, while also strengthen and empower the Gram Panchayats and every rural household with transparency and ease.