No funds since year from Centre for Jal Jeevan scheme: Maharashtra minister

In the reply submitted to the legislative council, Maharashtra Minister Gulabrao Patil said that 51,560 schemes have been sanctioned under the water programme, of which 25,429 are still ongoing

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 25,429 are still ongoing.

Patil informed the Upper House of the state legislature that the state government has given ₹2,483.58 crore in 2024-25 and ₹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 ₹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 ₹55.84 crore, the reply said.