Before There Was Jal Jeevan, There Was Raksha Bandhan

Himachal Pradesh, since its formation in 1967, has distinguished itself with significant progress on the human development indices, unlike several hill states and even Himalayan countries. The state scores well on several fronts.

It is just behind Kerala on the Sustainable Development Goals Index of NITI Aayog for the year 2020. It has an 82.80 per cent literacy rate, which is well over the national average of 74 per cent. The district hospitals in the state successfully meet the requirement of the necessary ratio on a per-lakh basis.

While there are genuine concerns around public debt and the high unemployment rate, by and large the state performs well on most socio-economic indicators.

However, this was not the case at the time of the birth of the present Himachal Pradesh state.

Remotely situated populations, lack of income for people and widespread poverty, and abysmal education and healthcare facilities had created a situation that, if it were not addressed suitably, would have led to mass migration, similar to what neighbouring Uttarakhand witnessed.

But to the credit of some visionary leaders across political parties, the problem was tackled head on.

While many rightfully remember the name and contribution of Dr Y S Parmar, the first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, the role played by his successors was no less.

One particular name to mention is that of Shanta Kumar. His terms as chief minister of the state were unfortunately eclipsed by the controversy of the police-firing on apple farmers in Kotgarh that set back the BJP for a long time in the upper Himachal region.

History may perhaps re-evaluate his work though, beginning with having led the 1977 Janata Party campaign to a thumping win in Himachal at the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha levels.

Kumar's speeches about the ‘jailon ki chaabiyan’ coming into the hands of the opposition had roused the people to rally behind the Janata Party, and that eventually compelled the party to make him the state’s chief minister.

Despite the various attempts at interference by dissidents and factions that plagued his first government, there was one step taken by him that forever changed the landscape of Himachal Pradesh.

Many people today see the impact of the Jal Jeevan Mission, creating waves in Himachal Pradesh. With a coverage of over 94 per cent, the near-saturation in the state is another feather in its cap despite the geographical challenges.

However, few remember that even before August 2019, when Jal Jeevan Mission was launched, the state had provided tap water connections to nearly half the households, while every village had functional water connections that served their needs satisfactorily.

What was the trigger?

In his writings, Shanta Kumar recalls how during his first stint he was reminded by his administrative staff of the holiday for Raksha Bandhan. Kumar remarked how he had been jailed during the Emergency and his sister had been unwell, eventually passing away without him having been able to achieve much. It led him to remember how so many women suffered every day in the state for a variety of reasons, prime among which was the problem of drinking water.

This thought inspired Kumar to decide that he would work to realise his dream of helping the people of the state in every way possible. He addressed the state on Raksha Bandhan that year, in 1977, and promised this to his sisters of Himachal Pradesh:

“My dear sisters of Himachal! On this day of Raksha Bandhan, I am coming to you with this present — I would get water taps installed in your houses very soon. These vessels of water weighing down on your heads would soon be a thing of the past.”

He indeed undertook several reforms in the state administration with immediate effect to ensure the realisation of this dream. For the first time ever, the Public Works Department was bifurcated to create a drinking water department that would specifically look at this move.

Having made drinking water the number-one priority of the development plan, Kumar personally supervised the department and set extensive targets to achieve the goal.

From getting bureaucrats to deliver results to ensuring that the poorest woman in a beneficiary village would get to fill water from the new tap first, Kumar personally ensured that the effort was a people’s movement in every sense, and not reduced to yet another government scheme that got buried under the files.

Such was the impact of the programme that the Planning Commission of the time was compelled to accept its success and suggested replicating it in other states.

Within two and a half years, the Shanta Kumar government had given tap water connections to 3,000 villages. In contrast, till 1977, only 2,000 villages had that privilege. Had the Congress not engineered defections in 1980 and instead let his government continue in peace, Kumar’s government would have ensured a significant cover.

Such was the impact of this scheme that wherever Shanta Kumar went, he would be referred to by the nickname Pani Wala Mukhya Mantri or Pani Wale Baba.

Much like his Antyodaya Yojana that came in later, Kumar had undertaken extensive efforts to ensure that the scheme gained a life of its own, and in his autobiography he also expressed satisfaction on how successive governments did not, to their credit, discontinue or stall this initiative.

Looking back at these events, is there perhaps a better Raksha Bandhan gift that a chief minister could have given to his sisters in his state?