Evaluation Study on Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM)

Abstract

The national goal of achieving universal access of the mammoth rural population to adequate potable drinking water at a convenient location at all times is a daunting task. The major challenge is the availability of drinking water, both in term of adequacy and quality on a sustainable basis. The Government has undertaken various programs since independence to provide safe drinking water to the rural masses. Taking into account the magnitude of the possibilities, the Central Government, in an effort to deal the issues in a mission mode, launched in 1986, National Drinking Water Mission, later renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) in 1991. The Government is committed to ensure that the village communities have access to safe and reliable water supply and it is evident from the fact that since the beginning of the planned era of development, huge investment of about Rs. 72,600 crore has been made in the rural water supply sector under both State and Central Plans up to 2009. In view of the importance of the Mission, the Programme Evaluation Organisation (PEO) of Planning Commission was entrusted to conduct an evaluation study on RGNDWM to assess the processes involved during implementation and the overall impact of the mission of the rural population.