Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 29 Jul: In response to a question raised by BJP’s MP Mahendra Bhatt in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Government has confirmed that Uttarakhand is on the cusp of achieving 100 per cent household tap water connectivity under the Jal Jeevan Mission by December this year. It was added that, in a further boost to the state’s rural welfare, an amount of approximately Rs 965.7 crores has been disbursed to farmers under crop insurance schemes over the past five years.
During the ongoing Parliament session, Bhatt had raised unstarred question number 879 to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, seeking details on the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttarakhand. Responding to the query, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V Somanna, stated that the centrally sponsored mission, launched in partnership with states and union territories, aims to provide safe and reliable tap water to every rural household nationwide. In the case of Uttarakhand, only 9 per cent or around 1.30 lakh rural homes had tap water connections at the time of the mission’s inception in August 2019. Since then, an additional 12.84 lakh connections have been installed. As of 22 July 2025, over 97.63 per cent of the total 14.49 lakh rural households, amounting to 14.14 lakh homes, which are now equipped with tap water. Somanna confirmed that full saturation would be achieved by December.
Besides this, Bhatt had also submitted unstarred question number 676 to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare regarding the status of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Uttarakhand. Union Minister of State Ramnath Thakur informed the House that 6.85 lakh farmers have benefitted from the scheme between 2020-21 and 2024-25. During this period, crop damage claims amounting to Rs 965.7 crores were settled and disbursed across the country.
Additionally, Bhatt sought details through letter number 818 addressed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding air connectivity expansion under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’ (RCS-UDAN). In reply, Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol revealed that 60 new RCS routes have been made operational in Uttarakhand, connecting a total of 13 airports and heliports across the state.
Bhatt has claimed that these developments point towards significant strides in public utility services and farmer welfare and towards the government’s commitment to inclusive development in the state.
