The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti organised a national workshop on multi-stakeholder consultation for capacity building under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0, bringing together representatives from States and Union Territories, rural WASH partners, training institutions and other key stakeholders.
The workshop, titled “Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on Capacity Building under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 for GPs, VWSCs and Sujalam Shakti Groups”, focused on reviewing and strengthening training modules developed for field-level functionaries, including Gram Panchayat representatives.
Participants deliberated on the content, pedagogy and field applicability of the modules, drawing on experiences from States and Union Territories and on-ground realities. The consultation aimed to support the finalisation and effective rollout of the capacity-building framework under JJM 2.0.
Focus on Sustainable Rural Water Services
Setting the context for the discussions, Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission, highlighted the enhanced focus on capacity building under JJM 2.0 to ensure the long-term sustainability of rural drinking water services.
He said sustainable service delivery extended beyond the creation of infrastructure and required empowering Gram Panchayats and local stakeholders with the knowledge, skills and institutional support needed to effectively manage village water supply systems.
Soan stressed the importance of clearly defined roles, Jan Bhagidari and a strong technical support ecosystem to ensure the regular, safe and reliable supply of drinking water to rural households.
He urged participants to develop simple, practical and application-oriented training modules designed from the perspective of village-level stakeholders.
“Capacity-building efforts must enable stakeholders to translate learning into day-to-day action,” he said, expressing confidence that the collective experience and expertise of the participants would help shape a comprehensive and future-ready framework under JJM 2.0.
Community Ownership and Practical Training Emphasised
Joint Secretary Swati Meena Naik outlined the objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop and stressed the need for a robust capacity-building ecosystem to ensure sustainable and reliable rural drinking water services.
She said the long-term success of water supply systems depended not only on infrastructure but also on the capacity of local institutions and communities to operate and sustain them.
Naik emphasised the need for clearly defined roles and responsibilities for Gram Panchayats, community institutions and technical support agencies.
Capacity-building programmes, she said, should focus on practical and application-oriented learning covering key aspects of water service delivery, including source sustainability, water quality, operation and maintenance, financial management and community participation.
She also highlighted the importance of community ownership and encouraged local communities to play an active role in managing and sustaining their water resources.
Digital Transformation Under JJM 2.0
Highlighting the vision of digital transformation under JJM 2.0, Naik stressed the need for a connected digital ecosystem to support task tracking, monitoring and accountability.
She said digital tools could strengthen service management and support informed decision-making at different levels.
Continuous capacity building, supported by technical handholding and institutional assistance, would be critical to ensuring sustainable drinking water services at the village level, she added.
Eight Training Modules Reviewed
Participants were briefed on eight training and capacity-building modules developed by the National Jal Jeevan Mission.
A key feature of the workshop was a group-based consultation exercise in which participants reviewed the relevance, practicality and scalability of the modules and suggested improvements to strengthen their effectiveness.
Stakeholders also identified emerging capacity-building requirements and developed recommendations to further strengthen training frameworks under JJM 2.0.
The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen capacity-building mechanisms and develop a comprehensive, future-ready framework to support the objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
The insights and recommendations emerging from the consultation will be used to refine the training modules and enhance implementation capacities across States and Union Territories.
