On Independence Day, 2019, this water-starved district in south-eastern Uttar Pradesh reported only 1,612 households with tap connections. Four years later, 1,29,209 households – or about 98% of all rural homes in Mahoba district – have water connections, according to the public dashboard of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the Centre’s ₹3.6 lakh crore scheme that aims to provide piped water to every village home by 2024.
No other district in India has reported such a dramatic increase in tap connections. However, a visit to some of the villages here suggests that a household certified as “connected” in JJM parlance does not always mean one with an actual water supply.
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