Minister says states have imposed fines of over ₹129 crore on guilty contractors under Jal Jeevan Mission

Minister of State for Water V Somanna told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that states have intensified action against corruption and shoddy workmanship in drinking water projects under the Centre’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission and have imposed a fine of over Rs 129 crore on guilty contractors.

According to the minister, six states – Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Rajasthan – have reported “significant action” in imposing penalties and initiating recovery proceedings in cases involving financial irregularities and poor quality work under the scheme.

Launched in 2019, Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide tap-water connections to all 193.6 million rural households in the country by the end of 2024. At the time of its launch, only 32 million households had access to tap water. Official data shows that 157.5 million rural households, or 81.36% of the total, have been covered so far.

The minister said Uttar Pradesh and Tripura have reported recovery from contractors due to loss, while Karnataka and Tripura have reported recovery due to seizure. About ₹11 crore has been recovered so far from contractors or agencies involved in engineering works.

Somanna said that all the projects under Jal Jeevan Mission are being verified by third party agencies to ensure quality standards.

In Uttar Pradesh alone, officials investigated 14,264 complaints received through multiple channels, including suo motu action. Reports have been submitted in 14,212 cases, while investigation is ongoing in 52 cases. The state has taken action in 434 cases, involving 171 departmental officials, 120 contractors and 143 other stakeholders. The remaining complaints have either been resolved or found to be irrelevant.