Jal Jeevan: States told to report graft cases against officials, contractors, Pg1.

Key Highlights:

• The central government directed states to report cases of corruption and irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects involving officials and contractors.
• This directive, issued by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) on October 10, requires states to submit reports by October 20.
• The directive follows an investigation revealing cost escalations of Rs 16,839 crore across 14,586 schemes, a 14.58% increase.
• The JJM, launched in 2019, aims to provide drinking water to every rural household by 2024, with a total allocation of Rs 3.60 lakh crore.

Detailed Insights:

• The review of JJM work and action against erring officials is crucial for the scheme's extension, pending approval by the Union Cabinet.
• Over 100 teams of nodal officers were deployed for ground inspection of JJM schemes after a review meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
• States must provide details of action taken against Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) officials, contractors, and Third Party Inspection Agencies (TPIA).
• The directive mandates examination of cases involving public allegations of fund misuse, ensuring accountability for financial irregularities.
• States are required to conduct a "ground truthing" exercise to identify discrepancies like double entries, incorrect entries, and non-implementation.
• Since the launch, 6.41 lakh water supply schemes costing Rs 8.29 lakh crore have been approved, with Rs 3.91 lakh crore already spent.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): A government initiative to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024.
• Public Health Engineering Department (PHED): State government departments responsible for implementing water supply and sanitation projects.
• Third Party Inspection Agencies (TPIA): Independent agencies hired to monitor and evaluate the quality and progress of infrastructure projects.