Jal Jeevan Mission's primary output is to provide all rural households with a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) by 2024. In parallel, the Mission also strives to achieve 4 key measurable outcomes such as improved health conditions of rural communities; reduction in drudgery faced by women and girls and empowerment of women, reduced school dropout rates of upper primary level girls; and increase in employment opportunities for rural communities. Such an approach would ensure socio-economic wellbeing of rural households.

Jal Jeevan Mission is a time-bound mission-mode programme and needs robust institutional framework for its successful implementation to achieve the stated goal. Hence, a four-tier institutional mechanism is to be set up at National, State, District and Village level.

Post-independence at the time of launch of India's planned development, the Environmental Hygiene Committee recommended a programme to provide safe water.