The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, organized the first National Virtual Conference with States and Union Territories on September 21, 2026, as a follow-up to the Departmental Summit held from September 1-2, 2026. The conference focused on strengthening the skilled rural water workforce required for sustainable operation and maintenance, water quality surveillance, and long-term functionality of rural drinking water infrastructure under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0.
Secretary Shri Ashok K.K. Meena emphasized that the long-term success of Jal Jeevan Mission depends on the availability of trained and skilled human resources to operate, maintain, and monitor rural water supply systems. A major focus was the rollout of the Nal Jal Mitra (NJM) programme, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and NCVTE, which features an NSQF-aligned qualification for rural drinking water systems. The program offers two implementation pathways: a 510-hour Short-Term Training course for new entrants and a 120-hour Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathway for existing operators, plumbers, electricians, and pump attendants.
Assessments indicate that more than 13 lakh personnel will be required in the coming years for operation and maintenance of rural water supply infrastructure, including technicians, operators, plumbers, electricians, pump mechanics, laboratory personnel, supervisors, and water quality workers. The expanding rural water sector is emerging as a significant source of local employment generation.
Joint Secretary Smt. Swati Meena Naik detailed the Sujalam Shakti initiative, a women-led program aimed at creating a trained village-level workforce for water quality surveillance, testing, and basic disinfection. Based on the NSQF Level-2 qualification titled "Fundamentals of Basic Water Quality Testing and Disinfection," the initiative seeks to equip women with skills in representative water sampling, use of Field Test Kits (FTKs), basic chlorination and disinfection practices, sanitary inspections, source protection, record maintenance, and digital reporting. The first phase aims to train approximately 1.35-1.70 lakh women through convergence with State Rural Livelihood Missions, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs).
The conference also discussed strengthening linkages between the rural water sector and technical education, with AICTE presenting progress on a dedicated elective course on Water Supply Management for diploma and engineering students. IIT Kanpur highlighted the importance of integrating emerging technologies such as IoT-enabled monitoring systems, telemetry, SCADA, GIS applications, predictive maintenance tools, machine learning, and data-driven decision-support systems into future water-sector curricula.
States and UTs were given specific actionable points with deadlines: States/SWSM must decide on adoption of the Nal Jal Mitra course or development of a State-specific course by October 15, 2026; SWSM must identify SSDM or another suitable body as Programme Implementing Agency with meetings convened before October 5, 2026; States must draft HR policy mandated under JJM 2.0 guidelines; and SWSM must undertake detailed HR assessment to identify O&M manpower gaps at GP, block, and district levels.
Several states shared best practices: Odisha presented initiatives in training local mechanics and women in water quality surveillance; Telangana showcased asset-based methodology for estimating manpower requirements; Jammu & Kashmir shared workforce planning for geographical conditions; Madhya Pradesh presented strategy for leveraging SIRD and RSETIs; Haryana and Punjab highlighted efforts in candidate identification and certification.
Additional Secretary & Mission Director Shri Kamal Kishore Soan concluded that Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 marks a transition from infrastructure creation to sustainable service delivery, and building a professional, certified workforce is critical for ensuring reliable operation and maintenance of rural drinking water infrastructure.