Lok Sabha Question No. 4457 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Irregularities in JJM in Uttar Pradesh
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Adv Priya Saroj, Ms Iqra Choudhary, Shri Pushpendra Saroj

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO .

## 4457 ANSWERED ON 19/03/2026

## IRREGULARITIES IN JJM IN UTTAR PRADESH

## 4457. SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ: MS IQRA CHOUDHARY: ADV PRIYA SAROJ:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  number  of  complaints  received  under  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  (JJM)  relating  to financial irregularities, sub-standard work, incomplete connections and contractor malpractice, State-wise, particularly for Uttar Pradesh;
- (b) the breakup of such complaints in Uttar Pradesh, category-wise and the amount of Central funds involved in projects against which irregularities were reported;
- (c) the  number  of  inspections,  third-party  quality  audits,  FIRs  registered,  contractors blacklisted and funds recovered in Uttar Pradesh following such complaints;
- (d) whether any tranche of Central assistance was withheld, reduced or made conditional due to non-compliance and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  corrective  structural  measures  introduced  by  the  Government  to  prevent  recurring financial and quality lapses under the said Mission?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (e)  Water  being  a  'State'  subject,  under  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  (JJM),  States  have  been empowered to plan, design, approve, implement, and operate & maintain drinking water supply schemes.  The  Government  of  India  supplements  these  efforts  by  providing  financial  and technical assistance.

Under JM, as reported by States/UTs, including Uttar Pradesh, a total of 18,790 complaints have been received from various sources such as media reports, suo-moto cognizance, public representatives, citizens, grievance portals, etc., regarding financial irregularities, poor quality of  works,  delays  in  projects  and  related  issues.  State/  UT-  wise  reported  complaints  are annexed . The category-wise breakup of complaints is maintained at State level.

Uttar  Pradesh  has  reported  that  out  of  total  16,178  complaints  received  through  various channels including suo-moto cognizance, so far, enquiries have been initiated in all complaints. Reports have also been submitted in 15,553 cases, while enquiries in the remaining cases are

ongoing.  The  State  has  also  taken  action  against  120  contractors  for  delays  in  execution, imposing liquidated damages amounting to Rs.340 crore.

To  ensure  effective  implementation  of  JJM,  the  Government  of  India  regularly  reviews progress with States through meetings and multi-disciplinary team visits, identifying areas for strengthening  implementation  and  monitoring  for  expeditious  execution.  Technology  is leveraged  to  ensure  transparency  and  accountability,  with  physical  and  financial  progress reported on the JJM-IMIS. All tap water connections are linked with the Aadhaar number of the  head  of  the  household,  and  assets  created  under  JJM  are  geo-tagged.  Further,  central assistance is provided only upon fulfilment of JJM and Ministry of Finance (MoF) guidelines.

As  per  operational  guidelines,  third-party  inspection  and  certification  before  payment  are mandatory.  Accordingly,  States/UTs  empanel  Third  Party  Inspection  Agencies  (TPIAs)  to verify the quality of work, materials used and machinery installed before releasing payments. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has informed that ground verification of JJM schemes has been  carried  out  by  Central  and  State-level  officers,  including  technical  officers,  national WASH experts, State nodal officers, the Technical Audit Cell (SWSM), and nodal officers from SWSM, Uttar Pradesh. To ensure quality, all works are verified by third-party inspection agencies before payment.

Furthermore, States/UTs have been consistently advised to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward financial, procedural, or quality-related violations. They  are required to ensure that every  complaint  is  thoroughly  examined,  prompt  field  verification  is  conducted,  and  all necessary  disciplinary,  contractual,  and  legal  actions  are  taken  to  uphold  transparency  and accountability under the mission.

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## Annexure referred in the reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha  unstarred question no. 4457 answered on 19.03.2026

| Sr.no.   | State/UT          |   Total no. of complaints |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------------|
| 1        | A &NIslands       |                         0 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh    |                         0 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh |                         0 |
| 4        | Assam             |                      1226 |
| 5        | Bihar             |                         0 |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh      |                       329 |
| 7        | DD&DNH            |                         0 |
| 8        | Goa               |                         0 |
| 9        | Gujarat           |                         1 |
| 10       | Haryana           |                         4 |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh  |                         3 |
| 12       | Jammu &Kashmir    |                        24 |
| 13       | Jharkhand         |                       152 |
| 14       | Karnataka         |                       169 |
| 15       | Kerala            |                        25 |
| 16       | Ladakh            |                         1 |
| 17       | Lakshadweep       |                         0 |
| 18       | Madhya Pradesh    |                        37 |
| 19       | Maharashtra       |                       154 |
| 20       | Manipur           |                        19 |
| 21       | Meghalaya         |                         8 |
| 22       | Mizoram           |                         1 |
| 23       | Nagaland          |                        14 |
| 24       | Odisha            |                         4 |
| 25       | Puducherry        |                         0 |
| 26       | Punjab            |                         6 |
| 27       | Rajasthan         |                       176 |
| 28       | Sikkim            |                         0 |
| 29       | Tamil Nadu        |                        45 |
| 30       | Telangana         |                         0 |
| 31       | Tripura           |                         1 |
| 32       | Uttar Pradesh     |                     16178 |
| 33       | Uttarakhand       |                        40 |
| 34       | West Bengal       |                       173 |
|          | Total             |                     18790 |