Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister of Karnataka Priyank Kharge has called on the Union government to avail the pending central funds of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) with immediate effect. In a letter to the Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Kharge emphasized that the issue of the Centre providing cases on time would involve the continued implementation of on-going drinking water projects in the state.
According to Kharge, Karnataka has demonstrated a clear dedication to the implementation of the Jal Jeevan mission with physical and financial gains registered in the 202324, 202425 and 202526 financial years. He emphasized that the state has already made tap water connections to over 86 percent of the rural households and a number of multi-village and single-village schemes are already progressing at different levels of completion.
Although this has been achieved, the minister has indicated a high gap between the financial input by the Centre and the spending by the state. The amount spent by Karnataka has been ₹35,698.58 crore since the initiation of the mission out of approved project cost of 69487.60 crore. Out of this figure, the state has contributed 24598.45 crore, and the central portion is merely 11786.63 crore. Kharge pointed out that the state has so far disbursed ₹1,500 crore even in the current financial year but the Centre has not disbursed any money.
He threatened that such a delay is posing financial strains to the implementing agencies. There are bills of 1700 crore value pending and there are more pending bills of 2600 crore value. The shortage of funds has already made some contractors to demobilise equipment and cut manpower slackening the pace of accomplishment of projects; it has posed a threat to the deadlines.
Kharge stressed that the mission needs to be supported by the Union government all the time.
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