Citizens can now test the water quality in their taps for just INR 50

Water & Sanitation: The Ministry of Jal Shakti has rolled out testing and monitoring guidelines for drinking water. This will allow people to test the water quality in their own taps at reasonable rates. The initiative is part of the Centre’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission; in which two percent of the INR 3.6 lakh crore budget has been earmarked for quality monitoring.

The samples tested by members of the public as well as government officials will create a nationwide database of water quality, said Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

However, at the moment, only 66 of the 2,033 water testing laboratories in the country are certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). To address this lacuna in infrastructure, the government has mandated that a network of NABL accredited labs be set up in every state, district, and block over the next year. At the panchayat level, teams of women in the village water and sanitation committees will be given field testing kits. The ministry will also permit state governments to include private players as part of the network, but tariff has been capped to ensure that they remain within the reach of the common person.

The suggested tariffs will allow a person to test a water sample’s pH level, turbidity, alkalinity, and hardness for a package rate of INR 50. Testing for the more dangerous arsenic, flouride, nitrate, or coliform bacteria will cost INR 100 each, while a package for all 16 water quality parameters will cost INR 600.  The guidelines have also stipulated that the turnaround time for chemical tests should not be more than 24 hours, while that for biological contaminants must not exceed 48 hours.

In addition to the provision of voluntary tests by members of the public, officials have been mandated to do regular inspections. All the results from testing will be fed into the Water Quality Information Management System (WQMIS), a portal developed with the support of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). This will allow the test results to be shared with a citizen who requests it, the WQMIS database, as well as the local official deputed to take remedial action in case of contamination.

Read this article on why governments in South Asia must renew their focus on equitable access to water and sanitation to build resilient communities.

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.