LEH: The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh has constituted District Water Sanitation Mission (DWSM) and Village Water Sanitation Mission (VWSM) committees across the UT to strengthen implementation and monitoring of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) at district and grassroots levels.
The committees have been constituted under order issued by the PHE/I&FC Department on September 30, superseding all previous orders on the subject. The move establishes a three-tier institutional framework for implementation of JJM, complementing the recently reconstituted UT-level Apex Committee.
The Deputy Commissioner/District Development Commissioner will chair the DWSM, with the Chief Planning Officer as Member/Coordinator and the Superintending Engineer of the PHE/I&FC Circle as Member-Secretary.
The district-level committee brings together officials from education, health, agriculture, forestry, social welfare, panchayati raj and information, besides PHE and I&FC engineers. This includes the Chief Education Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Agriculture Officer, Divisional Forest Officer, District Social Welfare Officer, District Panchayat Officer and District Information Officer. Executive Engineers from PHE Civil, PHE Mechanical and I&FC will also be members.
The broad composition is designed to bring multiple departments involved in rural development and public services into the district-level implementation mechanism.
At the village level, the Sarpanch concerned will chair the VWSM, with a PHE/I&FC Junior Engineer or Works Supervisor serving as Member-Secretary.
The committee will include the Panchayat Secretary/Village Level Worker, all Panchs, a local school headmaster/master/teacher—preferably from the science stream—along with Anganwadi and ASHA workers. The order specifically mandates that the committees function according to JJM guidelines and instructions issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti from time to time.
A key feature of the new framework is the prescribed review mechanism. The DWSM will hold review meetings every fortnight, with the minutes required to be uploaded on the JJM-IMIS Portal. The Action Taken Report/minutes are also to be submitted to the Administrative Secretary, PHE/I&FC Department, UT of Ladakh.
At the grassroots level, the VWSM will conduct a Gram Sabha meeting during the third week of every month to review JJM-related activities in the village. The concerned Panchayat Secretary will be responsible for recording the proceedings and uploading the minutes on the e-GramSwaraj Portal, wherever applicable.
The order also provides for continuity of the village-level mechanism where an elected Panchayat body is absent. In such cases, the Block Development Officer (BDO) will function as Chairperson of the VWSM and ensure compliance with the responsibilities prescribed under JJM guidelines.
The constitution of the DWSM and VWSM creates a formal monitoring chain extending from district administration to Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, with mandatory periodic reviews and digital reporting.
