Ministry
Ministry of Jal Shakti
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the Union government's single seat of power over water in India, formed in May 2019 by merging the water-resources and drinking-water ministries. It runs the country's largest rural water programme, the Jal Jeevan Mission, and owns the Ganga clean-up (Namami Gange), inter-state river management and the interlinking-of-rivers agenda. Through its two departments it commands roughly a lakh crore rupees of annual spending on water.
Updated
- Headquarters
- Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi
- Departments
- Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR); Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS)
- Budget 2025-26
- ~₹99,503 crore combined (DDWS ₹74,226 cr; DoWR ₹25,277 cr)
- Signature statistic
- 15.72 crore rural households (~81%) with tap connections under JJM, as of 22 Oct 2025
Role
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the Union government’s consolidated authority over water. Created in May 2019 by merging the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, it runs through two departments: the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR RD&GR), which handles irrigation, groundwater, inter-state river disputes, river boards, the interlinking of rivers and the Ganga clean-up; and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), which runs the Jal Jeevan Mission for rural piped water and the rural arm of the Swachh Bharat Mission. Its subordinate bodies include the Central Water Commission and the Central Ground Water Board.
Water sits at the intersection of the Union and the states — irrigation and water supply are state subjects, while inter-state rivers and dispute adjudication fall to the Centre — which makes this ministry a coordinator and financier as much as an implementer. It disburses central assistance on a cost-sharing basis (from 100% for Union Territories down to 50:50 for most states), sets national norms such as the 55-litre-per-capita-per-day drinking-water standard, and adjudicates river-water disputes through tribunals. Its command over roughly a lakh crore rupees of annual spending and over flagship programmes like the Jal Jeevan Mission, Namami Gange and the Ken-Betwa link makes it one of the government’s largest infrastructure and welfare seats of power.
Desk maintained by IndiaStand editorial cycles. Officeholders are transient; this dossier tracks the institution.
Timeline since 1947
- reference
Central Water Commission established
The apex technical body for water-resource development is established as the Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission; it is renamed the Central Water Commission in 1974 and is today a subordinate office of the ministry.
- reference
Ministry of Water Resources created
The Union government carves out a dedicated water-resources ministry from the earlier irrigation and power portfolios.
- reference
Namami Gange launched
The integrated Ganga-rejuvenation programme is launched with an initial ₹20,000 crore outlay, run by the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
- reference
Ministry of Jal Shakti formed
The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation is merged with the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation into a single water ministry.
- reference
Jal Jeevan Mission launched
The mission is announced to provide a functional tap-water connection to every rural household, at 55 litres per capita per day, originally by 2024.
- official
Ken-Betwa link foundation stone laid
The foundation stone for India's first river-interlinking project under the National Perspective Plan is laid at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
- official
JJM outlay enhanced and deadline extended to 2028 in Union Budget
The Union Budget 2025-26 enhances the Jal Jeevan Mission outlay to ₹67,000 crore and extends the mission's deadline to 2028.
- official
Cabinet approves JJM 2.0
The Union Cabinet approves a restructured Jal Jeevan Mission shifting from infrastructure creation to service delivery, with the 'Sujalam Bharat' digital framework and a stated target of 19.36 crore rural households by December 2028.
Frequently asked
- What is Ministry of Jal Shakti?
- The Ministry of Jal Shakti is the Union government's single seat of power over water in India, formed in May 2019 by merging the water-resources and drinking-water ministries. It runs the country's largest rural water programme, the Jal Jeevan Mission, and owns the Ganga clean-up (Namami Gange), inter-state river management and the interlinking-of-rivers agenda. Through its two departments it commands roughly a lakh crore rupees of annual spending on water.
- When was Ministry of Jal Shakti established?
- Ministry of Jal Shakti was established 2019-05.
- What does Ministry of Jal Shakti do?
- Its remit covers Rural drinking-water supply through the Jal Jeevan Mission / Har Ghar Jal, Sanitation (Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin), River conservation and Ganga rejuvenation (Namami Gange / National Mission for Clean Ganga), Inter-state river-water disputes, tribunals and river boards, Major and medium irrigation, groundwater and the interlinking of rivers, Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board oversight.
- What is the latest on Ministry of Jal Shakti?
- As of 2026-07-06: Cabinet approves JJM 2.0. The Union Cabinet approves a restructured Jal Jeevan Mission shifting from infrastructure creation to service delivery, with the 'Sujalam Bharat' digital framework and a stated target of 19.36 crore rural households by December 2028.