The responsibility of managing water resources in India is shared between the Union government and state governments.  At the Union level, the Ministry of Jal Shakti is responsible for the development, and management of water as a national resource.[i]  It ensures that water is made available for diverse water needs, such as domestic use, sanitation, irrigation, and industrial use.¹  It also ensures the conservation of rivers and other water bodies.

The Ministry has two Departments.¹  The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR) frames policies and implements programmes for the assessment, development, and regulation of water resources.[ii]  It frames laws related to water resources, and addresses inter-state and inter-boundary water issues.  It is also responsible for the rejuvenation of the river Ganga and its tributaries, and for addressing issues such as water quality and pollution.  The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) is responsible for providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to rural India.[iii] 

This note analyses the expenditure by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and related schemes.  It also discusses key issues related to water governance in India. 

Overview of Finances

Table 1:  Budget allocation to the Ministry of Jal Shakti (in Rs crore)

Department	2023-24 Actual	2024-25 RE	2025-26 BE	% change from 24-25 RE to 25-26 BE
Drinking Water and Sanitation	76,570	29,917	74,226	148%
Of which
JJM	69,992	22,694	67,000	195%
SBM-G	6,546	7,192	7,192	0%
Water Resources	18,539	21,641	25,277	17%
Of which
PMKSY	6,088	6,621	8,260	25%
River Interlinking	1,922	3,000	3,400	13%
Namami Gange	1,391	2,000	2,400	20%
ABY	1,739	600	1,780	197%
Total	95,109	51,558	99,503	93%

Note: BE is budget estimate and RE is revised estimate.  Other schemes include allocation towards the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme and the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme.
Sources: Demands for Grants 2025-26, Ministry of Jal Shakti; PRS.

In 2025-26, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has been allocated Rs 99,503 crore, marginally higher than the budget allocation in 2024-25 (Rs 98,714 crore).  The revised estimate for expenditure in 2024-25 is 48% lower than the budget allocation.  This is due to reduced allocation to the Jal Jeevan Mission at the revised stage.

Over the last ten years, 76% of the budget allocation to the Ministry has gone to the DDWS.  Until 2021-22, the gap between allocations to the two departments remained less than Rs 50 crore.  In 2021-22, allocation for DDWS almost tripled over the previous year, largely driven by increased allocation to the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation implements two key centrally sponsored schemes, the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Swachh Bharat Mission – Grameen (SBM-G).³  These schemes aim to provide water supply and sanitation to rural India.

Jal Jeevan Mission

The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched in 2019, to provide assured tap water supply to all 19 crore rural households and public institutions by 2024.³  JJM also aims to address water quality by focusing on grey water management.