UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission and Transfer of Rural Water Supply Schemes

Q1. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission's service-level norms, the schedule on which water is to be supplied to a rural household for its tap connection to be counted as 'functional' is decided by which one of the following?

  • A. The Public Health Engineering Department of the State Government
  • B. The Gram Panchayat or the Village Water and Sanitation Committee
  • C. The District Water and Sanitation Mission of the concerned district
  • D. The State Water and Sanitation Mission headed by the Chief Secretary

Q2. In the criteria used for inter-se allocation of Jal Jeevan Mission funds among States and Union Territories, which one of the following attracts the highest weightage?

  • A. Rural population residing in habitations affected by chemical water quality problems
  • B. Rural population residing in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe dominated habitations
  • C. Rural population of States that have signed reform-linked MoUs under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
  • D. Rural population residing in desert, hilly and other difficult terrain areas of the country

Q3. Consider the following statements comparing Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 with the Mission as originally approved in 2019-20: 1. The mission period, originally set to conclude in 2024, has been extended up to December 2028. 2. The total outlay has been enhanced to about Rs. 8.69 lakh crore, of which total central assistance is about Rs. 3.59 lakh crore. 3. The restructuring reorients implementation from service delivery and operation-and-maintenance towards fresh infrastructure creation in uncovered habitations. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The mission period, originally set to conclude in 2024, has been extended up to December 2028.
  2. The total outlay has been enhanced to about Rs. 8.69 lakh crore, of which total central assistance is about Rs. 3.59 lakh crore.
  3. The restructuring reorients implementation from service delivery and operation-and-maintenance towards fresh infrastructure creation in uncovered habitations.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Which one of the following is the nodal Union Ministry for the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in rural areas?

  • A. Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • B. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
  • C. Ministry of Rural Development
  • D. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Q5. Which one of the following statements correctly describes when a rural household's tap water connection is treated as a 'functional' connection under the Jal Jeevan Mission?

  • A. When it supplies at least 40 litres per capita per day of water conforming to BIS:10500, tested at least once every year by the district laboratory
  • B. When it guarantees uninterrupted, round-the-clock metered supply of at least 100 litres per capita per day drawn exclusively from surface water sources
  • C. When it supplies at least 55 litres per capita per day of water of BIS:10500 prescribed quality on a regular, long-term basis
  • D. When it has been provided to every household of a habitation, which is then permanently certified irrespective of the quantity or quality supplied later

Q6. Consider the following statements regarding the transfer of rural water supply schemes to local bodies under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 as compared with the earlier phase of the Mission: 1. Completed piped water supply schemes are formally handed over to Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees through the 'Jal Arpan' process. 2. As reported so far, all the 34 Jal Jeevan Mission States and Union Territories have signed reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding with the Centre. 3. Certification of a Gram Panchayat as 'Har Ghar Jal' now additionally requires the establishment of adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Completed piped water supply schemes are formally handed over to Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees through the 'Jal Arpan' process.
  2. As reported so far, all the 34 Jal Jeevan Mission States and Union Territories have signed reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding with the Centre.
  3. Certification of a Gram Panchayat as 'Har Ghar Jal' now additionally requires the establishment of adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. The devolution of drinking water supply to Panchayats, which underpins the handover of in-village water infrastructure under the Jal Jeevan Mission, derives from which one of the following constitutional provisions?

  • A. Article 243W read with the Twelfth Schedule, inserted by the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992
  • B. Article 243G read with the Eleventh Schedule, inserted by the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992
  • C. Article 243ZD read with the Eleventh Schedule, inserted by the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992
  • D. Article 246 read with Entry 17 of the State List, as it stood in the Constitution as originally enacted

Q8. With reference to 'Jal Arpan' under the Jal Jeevan Mission, consider the following statements: 1. It is the formal handover of completed piped water supply schemes to Gram Panchayats, Village Water and Sanitation Committees and the community. 2. It is a reform condition that States commit to in the reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding signed under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0. 3. Its stated purpose includes ensuring transparency, local ownership and long-term sustainability of rural drinking water services. 4. It is the annual, community-led maintenance and review event that integrates local cultural practices. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It is the formal handover of completed piped water supply schemes to Gram Panchayats, Village Water and Sanitation Committees and the community.
  2. It is a reform condition that States commit to in the reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding signed under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
  3. Its stated purpose includes ensuring transparency, local ownership and long-term sustainability of rural drinking water services.
  4. It is the annual, community-led maintenance and review event that integrates local cultural practices.
  • A. 1 and 4 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q9. The reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding with States under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 are executed under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, which is currently headed by which one of the following as its Cabinet Minister?

  • A. Shri C. R. Patil
  • B. Shri V. Somanna
  • C. Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary
  • D. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Q10. Which one of the following statements best describes the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP)?

  • A. A programme launched in 2009 for piped water supply in small towns, later merged into the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
  • B. A programme launched in 2009 by restructuring the Swajaldhara scheme, later merged into the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) in 2014
  • C. A programme launched in 2019 that replaced the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme and is confined to water quality testing and surveillance
  • D. A programme launched in 2009 by restructuring the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme, which was subsumed into the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019

Q11. Under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, the central share is released to a State only after it signs a reform-linked Memorandum of Understanding and complies with the prescribed structural reforms. Which one of the following releases these funds to the States?

  • A. The Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance
  • B. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • C. The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
  • D. The Department of Rural Development under the Ministry of Rural Development