Widespread Corruption Uncovered in Flagship Water Scheme
In a major crackdown on corruption within one of the government's flagship welfare programs, disciplinary action has been initiated against 1,570 individuals and agencies across 15 states and Union Territories for financial irregularities and poor quality work under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The sweeping action targets 596 government officials, 822 contractors, and 152 Third Party Inspection Agencies (TPIAs) following thousands of complaints about mismanagement in the scheme aimed at providing tap water connections to rural households.
Uttar Pradesh Emerges as Epicenter of Complaints
Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the state with the highest number of complaints, accounting for a staggering 14,264 of the total 16,634 complaints received - representing over 85% of all grievances. The state also featured prominently in action taken against officials and contractors.
Assam ranked a distant second with 1,236 complaints, followed by Tripura with 376 complaints. The pattern reveals significant regional disparities in implementation quality and oversight mechanisms.
In terms of officials facing disciplinary measures, Rajasthan ranked high with 170 officials, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh with 151 officials. Tripura led in action against contractors with 376 facing consequences, while West Bengal took action against 142 contractors.
Investigation Reveals Systematic Flaws
The crackdown follows an investigation by The Indian Express that uncovered how changes in Jal Jeevan Mission guidelines three years ago removed crucial expenditure checks, leading to significant cost escalations. The investigation revealed that this policy change resulted in additional costs totaling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes - representing a 14.58% increase from estimated costs.
Seven related cases are now being examined by premier investigative agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Lokayukta, and other anti-corruption bodies, indicating the seriousness of the violations.
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti had deployed over 100 teams of nodal officers for ground inspection of JJM schemes across the country months before issuing the October directive that prompted states to submit their action-taken reports.
Mission Extended Despite Challenges
Launched in 2019 with the ambitious goal of providing tap connections to every rural household by 2024, the Jal Jeevan Mission has now been extended. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her February 1, 2025 budget speech, announced the mission's continuation with enhanced financial support until 2028, though this move awaits Union Cabinet approval.
The 15 states and UTs that submitted complete information include Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Uttarakhand, alongside the previously mentioned states.
However, six other states and UTs - Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Lakshadweep and Sikkim - responded to the Centre's call but did not share details of complaints received and action taken. Several major states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu provided no information at all.
Bihar and Telangana, while not sharing complaint details, informed the Centre that they had provided tap connections through their own state-level schemes, indicating alternative implementation approaches.
Department officials reviewed the response from the 15 compliant states and UTs last week and are pursuing the matter with the remaining states to ensure comprehensive accountability across the nationwide scheme.
