Government strict on irregularities in Jal Jeevan Mission, strict action against officers and contractors

The government has taken a strict stance regarding the irregularities revealed in the Central Government’s ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme. According to the information given in the Lok Sabha, a fine of about Rs 129.27 crore has been imposed so far in cases of financial irregularities and shoddy work and the process of recovery is going on continuously.

In which states the action took place

Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, while giving a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said that action has been taken against the culprits in states like Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. In Uttar Pradesh and Tripura, money has been recovered from contractors under liquidated damages, while in Karnataka and Tripura, action to seize EMD and FDR has been initiated.

Gujarat’s biggest scam case

According to the government, huge irregularities were found under Jal Jeevan Mission in 620 villages of Mahisagar district of Gujarat. In this case the state suffered a loss of about Rs 120.65 crore. The government has ordered recovery from 112 agencies. However, till now only Rs 6.65 crore has been recovered. All 112 agencies have been blacklisted and the case is being investigated by the CID Crime Branch. So far 9 officers and contractors have been arrested.

Investigation of thousands of complaints in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh government said that investigation into 14,264 complaints related to Jal Jeevan Mission was started. Of these, reports of 14,212 cases have been received, while investigation of 52 cases is still going on. Following the investigation, action was taken in 434 cases, involving 171 government officials, 120 contractors and 143 third party inspection agencies.

How many people were affected?

According to the government, so far on the basis of information received from 32 states and union territories across the country,

• 621 departmental officers,
• 969 contractorsAnd
• 153 third party agencies Action has been taken against.
  These include strict actions like suspension, departmental inquiry, charge sheet, cancellation of contract, blacklisting and fine.

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Government’s emphasis on transparency

Jal Shakti Ministry clarified that drinking water is a state subject, but the central government provides technical and financial support. IMIS portal, Aadhaar linking, geo-tagging and third party verification have been made mandatory for transparency. The government has bluntly said that corruption or negligence in Jal Jeevan Mission will not be tolerated under any circumstances and legal action will continue against the culprits.