Maharashtra has not received Jal Jeevan Mission funds from Centre since Oct 2024, says Minister

Nagpur: Maharashtra Minister of Water Supply and Sanitation Gulabrao Patil informed the Assembly on Friday that the state has not received central funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since October 2024.

In a written reply, he said the government has been using its own resources to complete the ongoing water supply projects.

The state government said that the shortage of funds has slowed the pace of the JJM works.

Patil said that 51,560 schemes have been sanctioned under JJM, of which 25,429 are still underway. He noted in a written reply to the legislative council that the state government has provided Rs 2,483.58 crore in 2024–25 and Rs 2,103.25 crore so far in the current financial year to support incomplete schemes.

The state government said the progress of JJM works has been affected by a combination of factors, including lack of land, opposition from local residents, delays in obtaining departmental permissions, contractor delays, failure of water sources and the shortage of funds.

It said 67 contractors have been blacklisted and fined Rs 12.80 crore for lapses in schemes implemented through various Zilla Parishads. In addition, work orders for 188 contractors have been cancelled. Show-cause notices have been issued to 76 project management consultants and 17 third-party inspection agencies.

Similar notices have gone to 70 junior engineers, 149 deputy engineers and 12 executive engineers, while seven engineers have been suspended. For schemes handled by the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, 233 contractors have been fined a total of Rs 55.84 crore.

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to every rural household through individual tap connections. It brings together several components intended to secure reliable drinking water across villages.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Health Prakash Abitkar told the legislative council that the nursing cadre formed the backbone of the healthcare system and that the state intended to strengthen nursing services further. He announced that a joint meeting of the Health Department, Medical Education Department and Urban Development Department would be convened to take a policy decision on setting up a Directorate of Nursing.

Member Uma Khapre said this meeting should be held under the chairmanship of the Legislative Council Chairman. Chairman Ram Shinde directed the Health Department to hold the meeting under his leadership.

Abitkar said medical services are provided through three arms of the government: the Public Health Department in rural areas, the Urban Development Department in towns and cities, and the Medical Education Department in hospitals attached to medical colleges. He added that the Public Health Department has already held a separate review of the nursing cadre and is moving ahead with the process of appointing a director for the cadre.

IANS