Before Central teams hit ground, states scramble to verify Jal Jeevan works

Indian Express

25-05-2025

AS CENTRAL teams begin to fan out for ground inspection of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation from Monday, several states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are scrambling to conduct their own 'physical verification' and 'review' of the works carried out under the flagship rural tap water scheme.
Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 6.37% of the JJM schemes or projects approved across the country but 18.56% of the total cost (Rs 1.54 lakh crore of the total Rs 8.29 lakh crore), has deputed 75 nodal officers, one for each district in the state. These officers were rushed from Lucknow to the district headquarters.
In an order issued on May 19 — the day the Centre announced that 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers will conduct ground inspection — Amrita Soni, Chief Staff Officer in the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Office, asked the state nodal officers to reach their respective districts by May 23 evening.
Over the next two days, May 24 and 25, the nodal officers conducted 'physical verification' of the JJM works in their assigned districts. They are required to submit their reports to the state government by Monday, as the central teams leave for their assigned districts.
The Uttar Pradesh government's nodal officers were handed a questionnaire containing five questions. They are: 1. At present, is drinking water being supplied directly from the tubewell or through the overhead tank? 2. How many houses were to be given water connection (target)? 3. How many houses have been given water connections? 4. Are all houses getting water 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening? 5. If not, why?
In addition to the JJM works, the Uttar Pradesh government has asked its nodal officers to also conduct physical verification of Gau Ashrayasthal (cowsheds) and two works of cost over Rs 50 crore.
In Jammu and Kashmir, a House committee headed by National Conference member Hasnain Masoodi held its first meeting on May 22. The committee was constituted by Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather in March this year 'to probe into the alleged irregularities' in the JJM implementation in the Union Territory.
The initiatives taken by the Centre and the states to review the works under JJM are much-awaited measures to bring in transparency and ensure accountability in the implementation of the scheme. This will also pave the way for early approval of the funding for the second phase (until 2028) of JJM.
In Rajasthan, Public Health Engineering Minister Kanhaiya Lal Choudhary has been holding review meetings at the district headquarters to review various schemes, including the JJM, under his ministry. Last week, he held such review meetings in Dholpur, Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts.
In Madhya Pradesh, P Narahari, Principal Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, toured several districts, including Indore, Ujjain and Narmadapuram, in recent days to hold review of the JJM implementation.
On May 19, the Centre announced that it will send 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers for 'ground inspection' of the JJM schemes across the country. The move followed a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on May 8 to review the mission's schemes.
An order to this effect was issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, naming 99 IAS officers who will inspect 183 schemes across 135 districts in 29 states and Union Territories. Of these schemes, learnt to have been selected randomly, Madhya Pradesh has the most (29), followed by Rajasthan and Odisha (21 each), Karnataka (19), Uttar Pradesh (18), Kerala (10), and Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (8 each).
The Centre has asked the teams to scrutinise records related to the design, planning and cost of works and to do 'on-spot excavation' on any sample stretch of pipeline and check whether pipe material are as per the Detailed Project Report.
On Friday, a training session was organised for the Central Nodal Officers in which 70 officers participated. The remaining are expected to attend the training session on Monday.
The Centre's move to conduct ground inspection came two months after an Expenditure Secretary-led panel proposed a 46% cut to the Water Resources Ministry's proposal demanding Rs 2.79 lakh crore for completing the mission over four years ending December 2028. The cut came following tough questions raised by the Finance Ministry over cost escalation, and concerns in some government sections that work contracts were inflated in some states.
Since the launch of the JJM in 2019, 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore — more than double of the scheme's original outlay of Rs 3.60 lakh crore (Centre: Rs 2.08 lakh crore; states: Rs 1.52 lakh crore) — have been approved by the states.
To meet the additional requirement of funds, the Jal Shakti Ministry had approached the Expenditure Finance Committee to approve Rs 2.79 lakh crore additional Central funding over and above Rs 2.08 lakh crore. However, the panel recommended only Rs 1.51 lakh crore as the Central share, which is 46% lower than Rs 2.79 lakh crore sought by the Jal Shakti Ministry, as reported by The Indian Express on April 21, 2023.
On May 21, 2025, The Indian Express reported that an examination of the data uploaded by states and UTs on the JJM dashboard showed that a crucial change in tender guidelines three years ago lifted the check on expenditure, and led to cost escalations. This resulted in additional costs of Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes, an increase of 14.58% from their estimated cost.
Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More