The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti organised a national workshop on capacity building under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0, bringing together representatives from States and Union Territories, rural WASH partners, training institutions and other stakeholders involved in rural drinking water delivery.
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 designed for field-level functionaries, including Gram Panchayat representatives and community institutions.
The consultation is part of the Centre’s broader effort to strengthen the institutional and community-level systems required to ensure that rural water supply infrastructure remains functional and provides regular, safe and reliable services over the long term.
Participants examined the content, teaching methods and field-level applicability of the training modules, drawing on experiences from different States and Union Territories as well as practical challenges encountered on the ground.
The recommendations emerging from the consultation will contribute to the finalisation and rollout of the capacity-building framework under JJM 2.0.
Focus shifts from infrastructure creation to sustainable services
The discussions at the workshop highlighted an important aspect of the next phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission: ensuring that water infrastructure created under the programme translates into reliable and sustainable services for rural households.
Setting the context for the consultation, Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission, highlighted the enhanced focus on capacity building under JJM 2.0.
He said the sustainability of rural drinking water services required more than the creation of physical infrastructure.
According to Soan, Gram Panchayats and other local stakeholders need the knowledge, technical skills and institutional support required to manage village water supply systems effectively.
This includes understanding responsibilities related to operation and maintenance, water quality, source sustainability, financial management and community participation.
The emphasis on local capacity reflects the need for village-level institutions to take greater ownership of water supply systems once infrastructure has been created.
Soan also stressed the importance of clearly defined roles, Jan Bhagidari, or people’s participation, and a strong technical support ecosystem.
These elements, he said, would be important for ensuring the regular, safe and reliable supply of drinking water to rural households.
Training modules to focus on village-level realities
One of the key messages from the workshop was the need to ensure that capacity-building programmes are practical and easy to apply.
Soan urged participants to develop training modules from the perspective of village-level stakeholders rather than relying primarily on theoretical approaches.
He said capacity-building efforts should enable participants to translate what they learn into day-to-day action.
This could include practical guidance on how Gram Panchayats manage village water systems, how communities monitor water quality, how maintenance issues are identified and addressed, and how local institutions manage the financial and administrative aspects of water supply.
The objective is to ensure that training does not remain limited to classroom learning but directly improves the functioning of rural water supply systems.
The participation of States and Union Territories in the consultation was intended to bring different field experiences into the process of developing the final training framework.
Different regions face different challenges in relation to water availability, source sustainability, geography, infrastructure and community participation. Incorporating these experiences can help make the training framework more adaptable to local conditions.
Gram Panchayats and community institutions at the centre
Joint Secretary Swati Meena Naik outlined the objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop and stressed the importance of developing a robust capacity-building ecosystem.
She said the long-term success of rural drinking water systems depended not only on infrastructure but also on the ability of local institutions and communities to operate and sustain those systems.
Gram Panchayats, community institutions and technical support agencies therefore need clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
This institutional clarity is particularly important once a village water supply system moves from the construction stage to regular service delivery.
Local institutions may be required to coordinate maintenance, monitor services, engage with households, address local issues and ensure that the system continues to function.
Naik stressed that capacity-building programmes under JJM 2.0 should therefore be practical and application-oriented.
The training should cover several aspects of rural water service delivery, including:
- Source sustainability
- Water quality
- Operation and maintenance
- Financial management
- Community participation
- Institutional responsibilities
- Service monitoring
The emphasis is intended to help local institutions develop the capacity to manage water supply systems rather than depend entirely on external agencies.
Community ownership seen as key to sustainability
Another major theme of the workshop was community ownership.
Rural drinking water systems ultimately serve local households, making community participation an important factor in their long-term sustainability.
Naik encouraged communities to play an active role in managing and sustaining local water resources.
Community involvement can include participation in decision-making, monitoring of services, awareness about water quality, conservation of water sources and support for operation and maintenance.
The approach is based on the principle that infrastructure is more likely to remain functional when local institutions and communities have a clear stake in its management.
The focus on community ownership also aligns with the broader emphasis on Jan Bhagidari under JJM 2.0.
Rather than viewing rural water supply as a service delivered entirely by government departments, the capacity-building framework seeks to strengthen local institutions so that communities can participate in managing the systems that serve them.
Digital transformation to support water services
The workshop also highlighted the role of digital technology in the next phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Naik outlined the vision of a connected digital ecosystem under JJM 2.0, with digital tools supporting task tracking, monitoring and accountability.
Digital systems can provide information on the status of activities and help different levels of administration track tasks and identify gaps.
The use of digital tools can also support more informed decision-making by bringing together information related to water supply systems and their performance.
At the local level, technology can potentially help track maintenance requirements, service delivery and other operational issues.
At the administrative level, digital monitoring can support coordination between village institutions, States and the national mission.
However, the workshop also emphasised that technology alone cannot ensure sustainable services.
Naik said continuous capacity building, supported by technical handholding and institutional assistance, would remain critical to ensuring that digital systems and other tools are effectively used at the village level.
Eight training modules reviewed
A central part of the national workshop was the review of eight training and capacity-building modules developed by the National Jal Jeevan Mission.
The modules are intended to support different stakeholders involved in rural drinking water management.
Participants were briefed on the content and objectives of the modules before taking part in group-based consultation exercises.
The consultation focused on three broad questions: whether the modules were relevant to field-level needs, whether the learning methods were practical, and whether the training could be scaled effectively across different States and Union Territories.
Participants were encouraged to draw on their own experiences from implementing rural water programmes.
The exercise allowed stakeholders to identify areas where the modules could be simplified, strengthened or adapted to address emerging requirements.
Field applicability remains a key concern
The emphasis on field applicability reflects the practical challenges involved in managing rural water systems.
Training materials designed at the national level need to be understandable and useful to people working at different levels of the rural governance structure.
For Gram Panchayat representatives and community members, the information must translate into practical guidance on managing local water systems.
Technical personnel may require more specialised information on areas such as water quality, source sustainability and system maintenance.
Community institutions may need training on participation, financial management and coordination.
The workshop therefore sought to bring together different perspectives before the training framework is finalised.
The involvement of States and Union Territories is particularly relevant because implementation conditions vary significantly across regions.
Operation and maintenance emerging as a critical priority
As rural water infrastructure expands, ensuring regular operation and maintenance becomes increasingly important.
A water supply system can provide sustainable services only if infrastructure remains functional, sources continue to provide adequate water and technical problems are addressed in time.
The workshop’s focus on operation and maintenance reflects this requirement.
Training for local institutions can help improve their understanding of routine maintenance, identification of faults and coordination with technical agencies.
It can also help establish clearer systems for reporting problems and ensuring that corrective action is taken.
Financial management is another important part of this process.
Local institutions need to understand how resources are managed and how expenditure related to water services can be planned and monitored.
By incorporating these areas into capacity-building programmes, JJM 2.0 seeks to strengthen the systems that support water services after infrastructure has been created.
Water quality and source sustainability
The workshop also placed emphasis on water quality and source sustainability, two areas that are central to the long-term success of rural drinking water programmes.
Providing a household with access to a water connection is only one part of ensuring safe drinking water.
The quality of the source and the water supplied to households also needs to be monitored.
Training can help local stakeholders understand their responsibilities in relation to water quality and encourage greater community awareness.
Source sustainability is equally important.
Rural water supply systems depend on the availability of adequate water sources. Where sources are vulnerable to depletion, contamination or seasonal variation, communities need to understand how those risks can be managed.
Capacity building can therefore connect water supply management with broader water conservation and source sustainability efforts.
Role of WASH partners and training institutions
The workshop brought together not only government representatives but also rural WASH partners and training institutions.
Their participation is intended to broaden the expertise available for designing and delivering capacity-building programmes.
Training institutions can contribute expertise in pedagogy and instructional design, while WASH partners can bring field experience and knowledge of local implementation challenges.
The multi-stakeholder approach also allows the national mission to receive feedback from organisations that work directly with communities and frontline functionaries.
This can help bridge the gap between policy design and field-level implementation.
Strengthening the institutional architecture
The workshop’s focus on Gram Panchayats, Village Water and Sanitation Committees and Sujalam Shakti Groups reflects the importance of local institutions in the rural water ecosystem.
These institutions operate closer to households than state or national agencies and are therefore better placed to understand local requirements.
However, local responsibility needs to be matched with adequate knowledge, skills, resources and technical support.
The capacity-building framework under JJM 2.0 seeks to address this requirement.
Clearly defined roles can also help reduce confusion about who is responsible for particular tasks.
For example, responsibilities relating to maintenance, community engagement, financial management and technical support need to be understood by all stakeholders involved.
Jan Bhagidari as a pillar of JJM 2.0
The emphasis on Jan Bhagidari places communities at the centre of rural water management.
People’s participation can extend from planning and implementation to monitoring and maintenance.
When communities are involved in decisions related to their water systems, they can contribute local knowledge about water sources, seasonal availability and household requirements.
Community participation can also strengthen accountability.
If users are aware of the standards and responsibilities associated with a water supply system, they can play a role in identifying service gaps and raising issues through appropriate local mechanisms.
The capacity-building programme is therefore not limited to training government functionaries. It also seeks to strengthen the ability of local institutions and communities to participate meaningfully in water governance.
Towards a future-ready training framework
The national consultation concluded with a shared commitment to strengthening capacity-building mechanisms under JJM 2.0.
The recommendations and insights emerging from the workshop will be used to refine the eight training modules before their wider rollout.
The objective is to develop a comprehensive and future-ready capacity-building framework that can respond to the changing requirements of rural drinking water service delivery.
The framework is expected to combine technical knowledge with institutional and community-level skills.
It will also need to accommodate digital tools and monitoring systems while ensuring that training remains accessible and practical for village-level stakeholders.
From infrastructure to reliable services
The workshop marks a broader shift in emphasis under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
The initial expansion of rural drinking water infrastructure created the foundation for household water services. The next challenge is to ensure that these systems continue to deliver water safely and reliably over time.
That requires trained personnel, capable local institutions, active communities, technical support and effective monitoring.
The national workshop sought to bring these requirements together by reviewing the training architecture that will support Gram Panchayats, Village Water and Sanitation Committees and Sujalam Shakti Groups.
The focus on practical learning, clearly defined responsibilities, water quality, source sustainability, operation and maintenance, financial management and digital monitoring reflects the range of skills required to manage modern rural water systems.
Building stronger village-level water institutions
The success of rural drinking water programmes ultimately depends on what happens after infrastructure is commissioned.
A functioning water supply system requires regular maintenance, reliable sources, quality monitoring, financial planning and community participation.
JJM 2.0’s emphasis on capacity building is aimed at strengthening these areas by giving local institutions the tools and knowledge required to manage water services.
The national workshop provided a platform for States, Union Territories, training institutions, WASH partners and other stakeholders to contribute to the development of that framework.
The review of eight training modules and the feedback from field-level stakeholders are expected to inform the next stage of implementation.
As the Jal Jeevan Mission moves into its next phase, the emphasis is increasingly on making rural water supply systems sustainable, accountable, community-owned and service-oriented.
The broader objective is to ensure that access to drinking water is not treated simply as the creation of infrastructure, but as an ongoing public service that requires local capacity, community participation and continuous institutional support.
The capacity-building framework being developed under JJM 2.0 is intended to provide that foundation, helping Gram Panchayats and community institutions translate infrastructure into reliable drinking water services for rural households.
