Action has been taken against at least 596 officials, 822 contractors and 152 third-party inspection agencies (TPIAs) across 15 states and union territories after complaints were received about financial irregularities and poor quality of work under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission to provide drinking water through individual tap connections to rural households. Indian Express I’ve learned.
Sources told the newspaper that seven related cases are under investigation by the Central Bank of Iraq.
Locating and other anti-corruption means.
Together, these 15 states and union territories received 16,634 complaints and submitted inquiry reports in 16,278 cases, the sources said.
Uttar Pradesh topped the list in terms of complaints received with 14,264 complaints – more than 85 per cent of the total so far – while Assam was a distant second with 1,236 complaints followed by Tripura (376).
UP was also in the top category when it came to action against officials and contractors. The state took action against 171 officials, followed by Rajasthan (170) and Madhya Pradesh (151). In actions taken against contractors, Tripura was at the top (376) followed by UP (143) and West Bengal (142).
The 15 states and union territories that provided information in this regard also included Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Uttarakhand.
The states’ response followed an October directive from the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), which oversees the scheme under the Jal Shakti Ministry, months after the Center deployed over 100 teams of nodal officers to conduct “ground inspection” of JJM schemes across the country.
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On May 21, Indian Express It published the results of its investigation Of the data uploaded by states and union territories on the JJM dashboard, it showed how changes in mission guidelines three years ago lifted crucial controls on expenditure and led to escalating costs. This resulted in additional costs totaling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes – an increase of 14.58 per cent over their estimated cost, the investigation found.
The Center launched JJM in 2019, with the aim of providing tap connections to every rural household by 2024. While the mission ended in 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech on February 1, 2025, announced that it would continue with the enhanced financial support till 2028. However, the move has not been approved by the Union Cabinet yet.
According to sources, six other states and UTs — Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Lakshadweep and Sikkim — also responded to the Centre’s call but did not share details of complaints received and action taken.
No information has been received from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, sources said.
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Bihar and Telangana also did not share details about the complaints received, but the two states provided tap connections through their own schemes.
Sources said DDWS officials reviewed the response from the 15 states and union territories last week and were following up the matter with other states.
Last month, DDWS sent letters to senior state ministers, asking them to submit reports by October 20 on Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) officials against whom disciplinary action, suspension, removal or FIRs were issued in connection with complaints of poor quality of work or financial irregularities in JJM projects.
The ministry also asked the states to share a status report on actions taken against contractors and TPIA agencies. It also sought information on penalties imposed on contractors, the number of contractors who have been blacklisted and against whom FIRs have been lodged and recovery proceedings initiated. The management’s move came after a high-level review meeting in the first week of October.
(Tags for translation) Jal Jeevan Mission (R) Corruption Jal Jeevan Mission (R) Jal Jeevan Campaign Campaign (R) Punishment of Jal Jeevan Mission (R) Officials Rural Drinking Water Scheme (R) Jal Shakti Ministry (R) The Indian Express
