The Minimum Needs Programme (MNP) was introduced with the objective to provide certain basic minimum needs and thereby improve the living standards of the people. It is the expression of commitment of the Government for the social and economic development of the community and the programme apart from others included rural water supply. It was decided in the 30th World Health Assembly of WHO in 1977 to launch a movement known as "Health For All By The Year 2000" for attainment of level of Health, that will enable every individual to lead a socially and an economically productive life.
In 1978, the Alma Ata International Conference on Primary Health reaffirmed health for all as the major social goal of the governments and called upon the governments to formulate national policies, strategies and plans of action to achieve the objective and in 1981, the global strategy for "HFA" was evolved by WHO. The Government of India also launched the "International Water Supply And Sanitation Decade (81-90) Programme" in 1981 with a target of 100% coverage of rural and urban population with safe drinking water supply facilities; 80% coverage of urban population with sanitation; 25% coverage of rural population with sanitation; by 1990.
In order to supplement the efforts of the State Government in providing basic drinking water, the Technology Mission for drinking water was set up in 1986 by Government of India to establish area based Mini Mission Projects for sustainable supply of safe drinking water and to establish Sub-Mission of scientific source of finding water, control of Flurosis, eradication of Guinea Worm, removal of excess iron and control of brackishness. In 1991, Technology Mission was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) with the broad objective of providing sustainable safe drinking water to all uncovered/no source villages and creating awareness among the rural people about the hazards of using unsafe drinking water.
In order to give focused attention towards attaining the goal of providing safe drinking water to all rural habitations in the next five years in consonance with the National Agenda for Governance of the Government, the Department of Drinking Water Supply has been created in the Ministry of Rural Development in October 1999 and during the year 1991-92, a field survey was conducted all over the country to ascertain the status of water supply in the habitations as per the directives of Government of India.
According to the survey, a village is generally made up of 'Main Habitation' and 'Other Habitation'. The definitions are as follows Main Habitation is the part of the village having major facilities like school, market, health centre, post office etc and Other Habitation are the hamlets/areas surrounding the main habitation areas.
The prime objectives of the Mission are to ensure coverage of all rural habitations especially to reach the un- reached with access to safe drinking water, to ensure sustainability of the systems and sources and to tackle the problem of water quality in affected habitations and to preserve quality of water by institutionalizing water quality monitoring and surveillance through a Catchment's Area Approach.
It may be mentioned that the following norms are being adopted for providing safe drinking water to rural population in the habitations: 40 liters of safe drinking water per capita per day (lpcd) for human beings. 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas, One hand-pump or stand post for every 250 persons and the water source should exist within the habitation / within 1.6 km in the plains and within 100 Mts. elevation in the hilly areas.
(Source: Planning & Monitoring Cell)
In 1978, the Alma Ata International Conference on Primary Health reaffirmed health for all as the major social goal of the governments and called upon the governments to formulate national policies, strategies and plans of action to achieve the objective and in 1981, the global strategy for "HFA" was evolved by WHO. The Government of India also launched the "International Water Supply And Sanitation Decade (81-90) Programme" in 1981 with a target of 100% coverage of rural and urban population with safe drinking water supply facilities; 80% coverage of urban population with sanitation; 25% coverage of rural population with sanitation; by 1990.
In order to supplement the efforts of the State Government in providing basic drinking water, the Technology Mission for drinking water was set up in 1986 by Government of India to establish area based Mini Mission Projects for sustainable supply of safe drinking water and to establish Sub-Mission of scientific source of finding water, control of Flurosis, eradication of Guinea Worm, removal of excess iron and control of brackishness. In 1991, Technology Mission was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) with the broad objective of providing sustainable safe drinking water to all uncovered/no source villages and creating awareness among the rural people about the hazards of using unsafe drinking water.
In order to give focused attention towards attaining the goal of providing safe drinking water to all rural habitations in the next five years in consonance with the National Agenda for Governance of the Government, the Department of Drinking Water Supply has been created in the Ministry of Rural Development in October 1999 and during the year 1991-92, a field survey was conducted all over the country to ascertain the status of water supply in the habitations as per the directives of Government of India.
According to the survey, a village is generally made up of 'Main Habitation' and 'Other Habitation'. The definitions are as follows Main Habitation is the part of the village having major facilities like school, market, health centre, post office etc and Other Habitation are the hamlets/areas surrounding the main habitation areas.
The prime objectives of the Mission are to ensure coverage of all rural habitations especially to reach the un- reached with access to safe drinking water, to ensure sustainability of the systems and sources and to tackle the problem of water quality in affected habitations and to preserve quality of water by institutionalizing water quality monitoring and surveillance through a Catchment's Area Approach.
It may be mentioned that the following norms are being adopted for providing safe drinking water to rural population in the habitations: 40 liters of safe drinking water per capita per day (lpcd) for human beings. 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas, One hand-pump or stand post for every 250 persons and the water source should exist within the habitation / within 1.6 km in the plains and within 100 Mts. elevation in the hilly areas.
(Source: Planning & Monitoring Cell)
