Eyeing citizen-centric governance and transparency, U.P. pushes digital application to track rural water projects - The HinduUpdated - August 09, 2026 01:47 pm IST - LucknowAiming to bridge the gap between citizens and administration through digital platforms, the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday emphasised that it is making robust efforts to digitally monitor rural water supply projects in real time. The government pointed out to the success of the Jal Sarthi application, which was launched in May 2026, and is supposedly being used by millions of citizens.“Citizens can access village-level details of drinking water schemes, household tap connections, infrastructure status and implementation progress through an easy-to-use interface. Within days of its launch, more than 1.2 lakh people have downloaded the application. We are eyeing over five million downloads,” Anurag Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary of the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department, told The Hindu.“Developed by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural) and the State Water and Sanitation Mission, it brings together information relating to the Jal Jeevan Mission on a single digital platform,” he added.Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural) Raj Shekhar stressed on transparency. “Traditionally, information about government infrastructure projects remained confined to departmental records. Jal Sarathi changes that by allowing any resident to check the status of water supply schemes in their own village. For rural households, this reduces uncertainty and improves confidence in public infrastructure programmes,” said Mr. Shekhar, a 2004-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.Robust monitoringMr. Shekhar emphasised on robust monitoring. “Large-scale infrastructure programmes require robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure timely execution and quality outcomes. Digital platforms such as Jal Sarathi complement physical infrastructure by introducing real-time monitoring, geo-tagged assets and transparent reporting. Officials, engineers, gram panchayat representatives and citizens can all access the same information, reducing information asymmetry and strengthening accountability. Its unique features are attracting more users, as it’s bilingual (Hindi and English), it has easy search and selection module for public convenience and it has data at three strata : State level , district level and village wise,” said Mr. Shekhar.The Managing Director added that the Government of India has also appreciated the feature and contents of the app on many instances. The application enables administrators to identify implementation bottlenecks, priorities interventions and improve service delivery. “As governance increasingly becomes data-driven, digital public platforms are emerging as essential tools for improving efficiency and accountability,” the officer said.“Citizens can access village-level details of drinking water schemes, household tap connections, infrastructure status and implementation progress through an easy-to-use interface. Within days of its launch, more than 1.2 lakh people have downloaded the application. We are eyeing over five million downloads,” Anurag Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary of the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department, told The Hindu.“Developed by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural) and the State Water and Sanitation Mission, it brings together information relating to the Jal Jeevan Mission on a single digital platform,” he added.Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (Rural) Raj Shekhar stressed on transparency. “Traditionally, information about government infrastructure projects remained confined to departmental records. Jal Sarathi changes that by allowing any resident to check the status of water supply schemes in their own village. For rural households, this reduces uncertainty and improves confidence in public infrastructure programmes,” said Mr. Shekhar, a 2004-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.Robust monitoringMr. Shekhar emphasised on robust monitoring. “Large-scale infrastructure programmes require robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure timely execution and quality outcomes. Digital platforms such as Jal Sarathi complement physical infrastructure by introducing real-time monitoring, geo-tagged assets and transparent reporting. Officials, engineers, gram panchayat representatives and citizens can all access the same information, reducing information asymmetry and strengthening accountability. Its unique features are attracting more users, as it’s bilingual (Hindi and English), it has easy search and selection module for public convenience and it has data at three strata : State level , district level and village wise,” said Mr. Shekhar.The Managing Director added that the Government of India has also appreciated the feature and contents of the app on many instances. The application enables administrators to identify implementation bottlenecks, priorities interventions and improve service delivery. “As governance increasingly becomes data-driven, digital public platforms are emerging as essential tools for improving efficiency and accountability,” the officer said.Published - August 09, 2026 01:47 am ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }