No funds from Centre since Oct 2024 for Jal Jeevan Mission: Maharashtra minister

Nagpur, Dec 12 (PTI) Maharashtra has not received central funds for the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ scheme since October 2024 and is using state funds to complete the ongoing projects, the government said on Friday.

In a written reply to a question, the government also said that the lack of funds has hampered the pace of existing projects.

The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide functional tap water connections to every rural household in India, ensuring safe and adequate drinking water to citizens.

In the reply submitted to the legislative council, Water Supply and Sanitation Department Minister Gulabrao Patil said that 51,560 schemes have been sanctioned under the water programme, of which 25429 are still ongoing.

Patil informed the Upper House of the state legislature that the state government has given Rs 2,483.58 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 2,103.25 crore in the current fiscal year to complete the ongoing works.

The state government said that the pace of the works under the Jal Jeevan Mission has been impacted due to the unavailability of land, opposition by local residents, the need for permissions from different departments, and delays by contractors It said 67 contractors have been blacklisted and fined Rs 12.8 crore in schemes undertaken by different Zilla Parishads. In addition, the works of 188 contractors have been cancelled.

Show-cause notices have been served to 76 project management consultants and 17 third-party inspection authorities. Similar notices have been served to 70 junior engineers, 149 deputy engineers and 12 executive engineers, while seven engineers have been suspended, it said.

In case of schemes undertaken through Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, 233 contractors have been fined Rs 55.84 crore, the reply said. PTI ND NR