New Delhi: For ensuring greater transparency and strengthening community ownership in rural drinking water supply systems, the Ministry of Jal Shakti on Wednesday launched a new digital platform, the Sujalam Bharat App.
The word ‘Sujalam’ has been famously used in India’s national song Vande Mataram, describing the motherland as blessed with abundant, good water sources. The app was launched at a time when Parliament held a special debate to mark 150 years of Vande Mataram.
“This is a very important launch for Jal Jeevan Mission,” said CR Patil, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, during the app launch.
The Sujalam Bharat App is a key digital initiative designed to transform rural drinking water governance by placing comprehensive, real-time information in the hands of both citizens and institutions.
The digital platform will unify rural water schemes, offering villages real-time access to rural drinking water supply assets.
“The launch of the Sujalam Bharat App is therefore a milestone toward a secure, reliable, and technology-enabled rural drinking water ecosystem, ensuring every household continues to receive safe water services sustainably,” said the Jal Shakti Ministry.
India has many water-scarce districts, with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Punjab having the most critically stressed areas facing issues like over-exploited groundwater.
According to a Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) report, 102 districts in India are over-exploited, 22 are critical, and 69 are semi-critical, when it comes to groundwater recharge and extraction. In 2019, the Jal Shakti Ministry launched the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA), a time-bound, mission-mode water conservation campaign in 256 water-stressed districts of the country.
According to the Jal Jeevan Mission website, the government has provided tap water supply to over 15.76 crore rural households as of 12 December 2025. The government claims that by providing safe water to rural households, child mortality and deaths due to diarrhoea have been reduced.
How the app will work
On Wednesday, Patil held a meeting with several stakeholders of the states and outlined the importance of timely data integration and structured adoption of the Sujalam Bharat platform.
The app, developed with the support of the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N), will enable advanced geo-referencing, monitoring, and management of rural water supply infrastructure under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Launched in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Jal Jeevan Mission is aimed at efficient management of rural drinking water supply systems. Its goal is to provide 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household.
At the launch of the digital platform, TP Singh, Director General of BISAG-N, gave an overview of the technological architecture of the Sujalam Bharat App and the Sujalam Bharat Database.
He also elaborated on how the unified system will support states and districts in adopting a structured approach to digital operations and maintenance of rural water supply schemes.
Following the launch, a detailed training and orientation session was conducted for all states and Union Territories by the BISAG-N technical team, focusing on the operational use of the Sujalam Bharat App, geo-referencing procedures, and integration of rural water supply assets on the new platform.
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‘Aadhaar for rural water systems’
The Sujalam Bharat Database integrates critical data, including water sources, asset inventories, scheme designs, operational records, water quality reports, supply metrics, and community feedback, into a single platform.
The app will also generate a Sujal Gaon ID, which will provide a clear digital profile for every habitation, detailing drinking water source, infrastructure condition, supply reliability, water quality, and operational and maintenance arrangements.
It also aims to ensure transparency in the performance of Gram Panchayats and service providers. The app has been integrated with PM Gati Shakti GIS that provides up-to-date geospatial mapping of rural water networks, supporting future planning, repair, and expansion with greater precision.
“Just as Aadhaar became the backbone of India’s identity system, Sujalam Bharat – Sujal Gaon ID will serve as the identity of rural water management, forming the very foundation of a transparent, accountable and citizen-centric service delivery framework,” the Jal Shakti Ministry said in a statement.
The app will soon be available for download from Google Play Store.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)