11 Mar , 2026 By : Debdeep Gupta
Shares of irrigation and water infrastructure companies rallied on Wednesday after the Union Cabinet approved a fresh phase of the government’s flagship rural drinking water programme, Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, along with other infrastructure initiatives carrying a combined outlay of about Rs 8.7 lakh crore.
Among the key gainers, Shakti Pumps (India) shares surged 18.5 percent to Rs 580.4, while Jain Irrigation Systems rose 8.5 percent to Rs 35.2. Infrastructure and engineering players also saw buying interest, with NCC Ltd gaining 3.9 percent to Rs 150.7, KEC International climbing 2.6 percent to Rs 553.2, and Prince Pipes and Fittings rising 6.8 percent to 265.4.
The rally came after the Union Cabinet cleared the next phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission, extending the rural drinking water programme until 2028 and increasing funding to meet its coverage targets. The government said the new phase of the programme will shift its focus from infrastructure creation to ensuring reliable service delivery and sustainability of rural water supply systems.
As part of the revamped framework, a national digital system called “Sujalam Bharat” will be introduced to digitally map drinking water infrastructure across villages and strengthen monitoring of service delivery. Under the programme, each village will receive a unique “Sujal Gaon” or Service Area ID, enabling digital tracking of the entire water supply chain -- from source to tap.
The government also plans to expand community participation through initiatives such as “Jal Arpan”, under which water infrastructure will be formally handed over to local bodies, and an annual community-driven “Jal Utsav” to promote water conservation and local ownership.
Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide tap water connections to every rural household. According to government data, about Rs 3.6 lakh crore had been spent under the programme as of January 2026. However, coverage has reached around 81 percent of rural households, short of the original target of universal coverage by 2024.
The government said the new phase will target 100 percent coverage of about 19.36 crore rural households with tap water connections by December 2028, while strengthening water quality monitoring and governance frameworks. The Union Budget for FY27 has allocated Rs 67,600 crore for the programme, marginally higher than the Rs 67,000 crore provided in FY26.
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