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Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Rajasthan Governemt following a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) evaluation of the Jal Jeevan Mission initiative in Rajasthan, alleging massive unspent funds and severe administrative lapses.
The Congress general secretary alleged that tens of thousands of crores allocated for rural piped water connections remained unutilized and claimed that Money was squandered in the name of water but didn't reach the villages in the state. Sachin Pilot, in a post on X, questioned the execution and financial transparency of the rural drinking water initiative. He wrote, "The CAG report on a crucial scheme like the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide tap water to every household in Rajasthan's villages, has raised serious questions about the government's functioning. Out of an allocation exceeding 41,414 crore, more than 29,145 crore was not even spent." He further criticised the ruling administration over the alarming audit findings regarding the public welfare initiative, questioning when action will be taken against those responsible. "Meanwhile, the audit has uncovered irregular payments, weak quality checks, and procedural negligence. Money was squandered in the name of water, but it didn't reach the villages! The government must answer: When will the water arrive, where did the money go, and when will action be taken against those responsible?" Earlier in August. The Centre has released over Rs 6,150 crore to states under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) during the financial year 2026-27, including Rs 5,289.09 crore as reimbursement to 10 states and Rs 865.87 crore through the SNA SPARSH platform to 13 states, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 on 10th March 2026, extending the Mission till December 2028 with an enhanced focus on ensuring reliable, adequate and safe drinking water services for every rural household. The Mission has been approved with a total outlay of Rs 8.69 lakh crore, including Central assistance of Rs 3.59 lakh crore, to support States and UTs in achieving universal and sustainable drinking water coverage. To ensure that progress under the Mission remained uninterrupted during the transition period, from the completion of the earlier JJM 1.0 Mission to the approval of JJM 2.0, several States continued implementation of approved rural water supply schemes using their own financial resources. From reimbursement, out of Rs 5,289.09 crore as Central share to 10 States in the FY 2026-27, Uttar Pradesh has received the highest allocation of Rs 2,711.52 crore. Karnataka received the second-highest amount at 795.74 crore, followed by Maharashtra (Rs 594.44 crore) and Rajasthan (Rs 537.72 crore). Other beneficiaries include Odisha (Rs 221.44 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 149.50 crore), Kerala (Rs 144.66 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 96.52 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 23.25 crore) and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 14.10 crore). The ministry said JJM 2.0 marks a shift from infrastructure creation to assured service delivery through strengthened Gram Panchayat-led operation and maintenance of water supply systems, source sustainability, water quality surveillance, community ownership and digital governance. A major reform introduced under JJM 2.0 is the Scheme-based Payment and Release through the SNA SPARSH platform that enables scheme-level fund release, expenditure tracking and real-time monitoring of financial progress. SNA SPARSH facilitates payments linked to individual water supply schemes, thereby improving accountability, transparency, auditability and efficiency in utilisation of public funds. As of the current date in FY 2026-27, the Centre has released Rs 865.87 crore through the SNA SPARSH platform to 13 states, with Assam emerging as the largest beneficiary, receiving Rs 669.92 crore. So far in FY 2026-27, the Centre has released Rs 865.87 crore through the SNA SPARSH platform to 13 states. Assam received the highest allocation of Rs 669.92 crore, followed by Uttar Pradesh (Rs 90.98 crore), Karnataka (Rs 47.30 crore), West Bengal (Rs 30.45 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 10.58 crore). Other beneficiary states include Tripura, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. (ANI)
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