The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Holds 2nd Edition of “district Collectors’ Peyjal Samvad”

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, organised the second edition of the ‘District Collectors’ Peyjal Samvad’, a national dialogue aimed at empowering district leadership to strengthen local governance, ensure source sustainability, and enhance accountability in rural water service delivery under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The event was held via video conference and chaired by Shri Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary & Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM). Smt. Swati Meena Naik, Joint Secretary, NJJM, along with senior officials, District Collectors/ District Magistrates from across the country, Mission Directors and State Mission teams from States/UTs attended the event that brought together over 800 participants.

The ‘District Collectors’ Peyjal Samvad’ series is part of the Department’s ongoing effort to strengthen local governance and decentralised water management under JJM. The first edition (14 October 2025) focused on empowering districts and panchayats through digital tools, accountability mechanisms, and peer learning. The second edition, held today, advanced this dialogue towards source sustainability, highlighting data-driven planning, legal safeguards, and convergence with MGNREGA to build a district-led, community-anchored model of rural water governance.