Jaipur, Aug. 4 -- Despite adding nearly 5.2 million new rural tap water connections under the Centre's flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since 2019, more than four out of every 10 rural households in Rajasthan are still without tap water, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha. The Union ministry of Jal Shakti informed Parliament that as of July 18, 2026, only 6.364 million of Rajasthan's 10.766 million rural households have tap water connections, translating to 59.11% coverage. This leaves around 4.402 million rural households yet to receive household tap water supply. The figures place Rajasthan well below the national average. Across India, 82.09% of rural households now have tap water connections, with 158.9 million of 193.6 million rural households covered under the mission. Rajasthan therefore trails the national average by nearly 23 percentage points, underlining the state's continuing challenge in achieving universal rural drinking water coverage. When the Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in August 2019, only 1.174 million rural households in Rajasthan had tap water connections, representing 10.91% coverage. Since then, the state has added around 5.19 million new household connections, increasing coverage to 59.11%. Acknowledging the unfinished task, the Centre has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission till December 2028 under the restructured JJM 2.0. The mission's total financial outlay has been increased from Rs.3.60 lakh crore to Rs. 8.69 lakh crore, while the Centre's contribution has risen from Rs. 2.08 lakh crore to Rs. 3.59 lakh crore, an additional Rs.1.51 lakh crore. For 2026-27, Rajasthan has been tentatively allocated Rs. 4,503.18 crore to complete ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission works. The ministry said the extended mission would focus on completing pending works, particularly in desert and water-scarce regions. It also highlighted the use of Aadhaar-linked monitoring, geo-tagging of assets, third-party inspections and sensor-based pilot systems to monitor rural water supply. A dedicated Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) has also been developed to monitor drinking water quality across states. The Centre reiterated that drinking water is a state subject, with implementation and maintenance resting with state governments. Under JJM, Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs)/Pani Samitis are responsible for managing village water supply systems. Initiatives such as Village Action Plans, the Jal Arpan handbook, Jal Seva Ankalan and the Nal Jal Mitra Programme among other have also been introduced to strengthen long-term sustainability and maintenance of the infrastructure of the rural drinking water in the state....