India today is seen as a rising global power. It is one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, a digital leader, a space power, a strong military nation, and an increasingly important player in global politics. Highways are expanding, airports are increasing, metro rail networks are changing cities, and the vision of becoming a developed country by 2047 is shaping national discussions.

Even though all these achievements are visible, one harsh reality still remains — millions of Indians do not trust the water coming from their taps. Most people still prefer bottled water, water purifiers, or boiling water before drinking it. This lack of trust shows that an important part of our country’s development journey is still unfinished.

The day every citizen, as well as every tourist visiting India, can confidently drink water directly from a tap at home, a railway station, school, hotel, airport, office, or roadside public place without fear of illness, that will be the day India can truly call itself a fully developed nation.

Safe tap water is not just a basic service. It is a sign of good governance, strong public health systems, environmental responsibility, and civic discipline.Civilisations have always grown around water. From the Indus Valley civilization to the banks of the Nile and the Tigris-Euphrates, access to clean water determined the survival and prosperity of societies. Even today, developed countries such as Germany, Australia, the United States, and much of Europe take immense pride in the fact that their citizens can drink water directly from the tap. In cities such as Berlin, public fountains and household taps symbolise public trust in governance and infrastructure. However, despite our rapid transformation, individual and society development are still far from that stage.

To be fair, the government has made major achievements in expanding access to drinking water, and these efforts deserve recognition. Since the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, tap water connections in rural India have increased at a very fast pace. According to official figures, only around 3.23 crore rural households had tap water connections in August 2019. By March 2026, this number had reportedly crossed 15.82........

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