Chandigarh, Dec 21 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday said the state government will provide within next one year clean drinking water in 1,634 villages where it is contaminated by fluoride and other heavy metals.

According to a government statement, he said clean drinking water is a basic right of all individuals rich or poor, and it is the duty of the state government to ensure its supply.

Singh said the state government is committed to ensuring through short-term or long-term measures supply of potable water to all such villages which are affected by fluoride, arsenic and other heavy metals.

"All persons living in 1,634 water quality affected villages in the state will be provided clean drinking water within the next one year," he said in the statement issued here after he chaired a meeting of the State Water and Sanitation Mission.

In addition, the state would cover all 35 lakh rural households with potable piped water connections by March 2022 under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the statement said.

Already 22.63 lakh rural households stand covered under the scheme.

SAS Nagar (Mohali), Rupnagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar have achieved the distinction of 100 per cent coverage of all their villages, said the release.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)