Uttar Pradesh wins PM's Award for innovative use of solar power in Jal Jeevan Mission
Srivastava, a 1992 batch IAS officer, received the award in the 'Innovation – State Category' for his leadership in integrating solar energy into water supply schemes. Under his guidance, over 80% of the state's 41,539 Jal Jeevan Mission projects are now solar-powered, collectively generating 900 MW of electricity daily. This shift has led to more than 50% cost savings in rural water supply and is projected to save the state nearly ₹1 lakh crore over 30 years, while also cutting carbon emissions by 13 lakh metric tonnes annually.
The program has also trained 12.5 lakh people across rural UP to manage and maintain these solar-based systems, ensuring long-term sustainability and local employment.
In addition to Srivastava, Moradabad DM Anuj Singh was awarded for setting up a library for the differently abled, while Bahraich DM Monika Rani was recognized for her effective administrative contributions.
Speaking after the award, Srivastava credited the visionary leadership of PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath for enabling such impactful innovations at the grassroots level.
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Business Standard
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Parliamentary panel questions accuracy of data in Jal Jeevan Mission system
A parliamentary standing committee has flagged concerns over the authenticity of data being fed into the Jal Jeevan Mission's (JJM's) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), recommending that the Centre institute checks to verify figures uploaded by states. It warned that without reliable data, assessing ground realities and plugging gaps in rural water supply would remain difficult. "Being aware of the fact that actual veracity of uploaded information is essential for realising the actual ground situation and filling the visible gaps, the Committee reiterate its recommendation that the Department makes sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data being fed on the IMIS," the Standing Committee on Water Resources said. In its sixth report on the Ministry of Jal Shakti's 2024-25 Demands for Grants, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Committee said actual verification of state-uploaded figures was "essential for realising the actual ground situation" and reiterated that the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation should make "sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data". The panel's scrutiny comes amid broader concerns over the slow pace of Har Ghar Jal coverage. Only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have achieved full household tap water connections since JJM's launch in 2019, and six major states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Rajasthan are performing below the national average. The government has extended the deadline for providing 100 per cent tap water coverage by 2028. The initial deadline was 2024. Water quality issues persist in more than 12,000 rural habitations, with contaminants including iron, nitrate, salinity and heavy metals. While community purification plants have addressed arsenic and fluoride contamination, the committee noted there is still no time-bound plan to provide a piped supply from safe sources in areas with other pollutants. It called piped water "the only solution" and urged a nationwide awareness drive on contamination hazards involving local authorities, civil society groups and NGOs. The report also criticised the quality of public infrastructure restoration after pipeline works, calling it "substandard in many States/UTs" and urging better coordination among state departments, contractors and local elected representatives. Operations and maintenance (O&M) planning also remains patchy, with only 20 states having notified comprehensive O&M policies by mid-2025. The committee suggested linking central grants to policy adoption to ensure the sustainability of rural water systems. On sanitation, it urged the government to review the Rs 12,000 incentive for building household toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), noting it has not been revised since 2014 despite rising construction costs. The panel also pointed to budgetary constraints, noting that the JJM's 2024-25 allocation of Rs 70,162 crore was far short of Rs 1 lakh crore sought by the department.
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Parl panel flags concerns over authenticity of Jal Jeevan Mission data
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Scroll.in
18 hours ago
- Scroll.in
EC gave vague, evasive replies to queries on official accountability, consultations: RTI activist
A Right to Information activist on Saturday claimed that the Election Commission gave 'vague' responses to queries about the accountability of officials for wrongful inclusion of voters, and about consultations held with political parties. Venkatesh Nayak, the director of non-governmental organisation Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, remarked that the poll panel seemed to think that 'opacity will serve its purpose better than transparency'. Nayak filed the first RTI application on June 27, three days after the Election Commission announced the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. This query was about the legal provisions that required action to be initiated against electoral registration officers or assistant electoral registration officers responsible for the inclusion of persons in the electoral rolls who are later suspected to be foreign nationals. 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'Due diligence must be performed like publishing a list of claims for inclusion on the notice board of the ERO/AERO, inviting objections and then conducting an inquiry, if required, by inviting the applicant to make submissions in support of his claim.' He added that although the statutory provision for taking action against an ERO or AERO itself was weak, the poll panel had not mentioned in its reply any other applicable provisions in penal laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative director also said that it was clear that the Representation of the People Act cannot be invoked against an errant ERO or AERO without the approval of the Election Commission or the CEO of the concerned state and Union Territory. 'The ECI claims that it has no data about the use of this provision to fix the accountability of such errant officers since 2015,' he said. 'Is this because this provision has never been invoked despite ECI's knowledge of the inclusion of ineligible persons which is demonstrated in its June 2024 Bihar SIR order?' Nayak asked why the Election Commission had not acted so far to investigate the 'phenomenon of wrongful inclusion of ineligible persons' in the electoral rolls. 'Or is the ECI trying to shield the errant offices for whatever reason?' he asked. Second RTI query Nayak said that the second Right to Information query submitted earlier this year pertained to the meetings that the Election Commission had initiated with political party representatives after the current chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, took charge in February. He added that the poll panel had issued a press release in April about the meetings held. 'Within a span of 25 days by the end of March, CEOs [chief electoral officers] are said to have held 40 meetings, DEOs [district electoral officers] held 800 and EROs [electoral registration officers] held 3,879 apparently engaging with more than 28,000 political party representatives,' Nayak said. The purpose of these meetings was to resolve any pending issues regarding the electoral process, within the framework of existing laws and rules, he added. In his Right to Information application submitted on April 25, Nayak sought to know the state and Union Territory-wise dates on which the 40 meetings were held across the country, and the names of the political parties that sent representatives for it. The CHRI director also sought a copy of all action taken reports received till date from the chief electoral officer of every state and Union Territory after the meetings were held. The Election Commission, however, said on May 20 that it did not have any of the information that he sought. 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