Lok Sabha Question No. 1039 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-05
Subject: Inspection of Schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1039

ANSWERED ON 05/02/2026

## INSPECTION OF SCHEMES UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION

## †1039. SHRI SANJAY HARIBHAU JADHAV:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has started countrywide inspection of various schemes under the Jal  Jeevan  Mission  (JJM)  following  concerns  related  to  cost  escalation  and  quality  of implementation;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including the total number of schemes and districts covered and the parameters being assessed during the said inspection;
- (c) whether the Government has any data on the number of such schemes under JJM where the actual cost has significantly exceeded the initial estimates and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise including Maharashtra;
- (d) the  original  estimated  outlay  under  JJM  since  its  inception  and  the  cumulative  cost  of schemes under JJM approved so far; and
- (e) the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  cost  efficiency,  enhance transparency in tendering and ensure timely completion of water supply schemes under JJM?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI V. SOMANNA)

- (a)  and  (b) Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India appointed Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) in 2025 for the ground inspection of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)  schemes  across  identified  districts.  The  CNOs  inspected  163  schemes  in  155 districts  across  the  country.  The  parameters assessed during the inspections, inter-alia , included functionality of schemes, institutional mechanisms, quality of works, technical design, grievance redressal mechanisms, effectiveness of Third-Party Inspection Agencies (TPIAs), and issues relating to cost overruns and time overruns.
- (c)  to  (e)  Drinking  Water  being  a  state  subject,  the  responsibility  of  planning,  approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance (O&M) of drinking water supply schemes, including those under JJM, lies with State/UT Governments. The Government of India supports the states by providing technical and financial assistance. Numerous projects are implemented concurrently at various levels across the states for achieving the envisaged objectives. As such, project-wise details of individual projects/ schemes for rural water supply projects are not maintained at the Government of India level.

In August 2019, Union Cabinet had approved the implementation of JJM with central outlay of Rs. 2,08,652  crore.  Against the  allocated  fund,  almost  entire  fund  has  been utilized. To achieve 100 per cent coverage through continued implementation of mission with focus on quality of infrastructure and O&M of rural piped water supply schemes for long  term  sustainability  and  citizen  centric  water  service  delivery,  Hon'ble  Finance Minister during her budget speech 2025-26 had announced extension of JJM until 2028 with enhanced total outlay.

Water being a state subject, the responsibility for finalizing the technical and financial criteria  for  tenders  related  to  the  procurement  of  goods  and  services  lies  with  the respective State/UT governments. Further, as per operational guidelines for implementation of JJM, Government of India has advised the States that 'while finalising the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts, relevant clause in the tender documents is to be included mentioning that materials to be procured for use in construction by the contracting agency should adhere to the relevant Indian Standards'.

Further,  a  number  of  steps  have  been  taken  to  plan  and  implement JJM in  the  whole country with speed, inter alia , including joint discussions and finalization of saturation plans and annual action plans (AAP) of States/ UTs, regular review of implementation, workshops/ conferences/ webinars for capacity  building,  training,  knowledge  sharing, field  visits  by  multi-disciplinary  team  to  provide  technical  support,  etc.  A  detailed Operational Guideline for the implementation of JJM; Margdarshika for  Gram Panchayats & VWSCs to provide safe drinking water in rural households and Guidelines on a special campaign to provide piped water supply in anganwadi centres, ashramshalas and schools have been shared with States/ UTs to facilitate planning and implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission. For online monitoring, JJM-Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) and JJM-Dashboard has been put in place. Provision has also been made for  transparent  online  financial  management  through  Public  Financial  Management System (PFMS).

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