Jal Shakti schemes: MPs meet today to discuss issues, concerns

Indian Express

21-05-2025

Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil has invited around 60 Lok Sabha members to hold an informal interaction Thursday on the points and concerns they had raised during a discussion on his Ministry's Demand for Grants for financial year 2025-26.
The meeting, which will be held at the Parliament House Annexe building, is likely to see members discussing issues related to different schemes of the Ministry including the Jal Jeevan Mission and Namami Gange.
The meeting comes at a time when the Centre has decided to send 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers (CNO) for ground inspection of Jal Jeevan Mission schemes across the country amid concerns over irregularities in several states.
A source said the Ministry has written to around 60 Lok Sabha members, inviting them to attend the interaction. These MPs, representing almost all political parties in Parliament, had taken part in the discussion on the Ministry's Demand for Grants 2025-26, the source said.
In that discussion in March, several MPs had raised the issue of alleged irregularities and corruption in implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Participating in the discussion on March 19, NCP (Sharad Pawar) member Nilesh Dnyandev Lanke said, 'Har Ghar Jal is also a very important scheme of our Prime Minister. A target of providing 55 litre water to every household has been set under this scheme. Around 830 schemes have been sanctioned in my constituency and 972 villages have been covered under this scheme. Officials claimed that out of 830, works of 230 schemes have been completed. But the ground reality is different and not even 50 schemes have been completed yet… a lot of corruption cases came to light and local villagers have sent me written complaints about it.'
'These complaints are about the tendering process, quality of work and payment of bills, and corruption is quite visible at first sight. Works have been awarded to ineligible contractors. Bills have been generated for incomplete works. To lay pipes, it is necessary to dig at least 4-5 feet, but pipes have been fitted at the depth of 1 feet only. I have got photos and videos of these corrupt activities. I have sent a pen-drive and photocopies to the Hon'ble Minister too,' said Lanke, who represents Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.
An Expenditure Secretary-led panel had recommended a 46 per cent cut in the Jal Shakti Ministry's demand of Central funding of Rs 2.79 lakh crore for four years ending December 2028, amid concerns about some states approving inflated work contracts to provide tap water connections to rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Since the launch of the Mission in 2019, 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with a total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore – more than double the scheme's original outlay of Rs 3.60 lakh crore (Centre: Rs 2.08 lakh crore, States: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, headed by the Expenditure Secretary, for approval of Rs 2.79 lakh crore additional Central funding over and above Rs 2.08 lakh crore. However, the EFC recommended only Rs 1.51 lakh crore as the Central share, 46 per cent lower than the amount sought by the Ministry.
On May 21, The Indian Express reported that an investigation of the data uploaded by states and UTs on the Jal Jeevan Mission 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 totalling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes, an increase of 14.58 per cent 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