New Delhi, Oct 20: In a move to tighten oversight on the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the Central Government has directed all states and Union Territories to submit detailed data on contractors and third-party inspection agencies penalised for irregularities in the scheme, official sources said on Monday.
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has issued instructions to Chief Secretaries to provide comprehensive reports on entities against whom penalties, blacklisting orders, or recoveries have been made under JJM.
The directive also seeks details of disciplinary or legal action taken against officials of the Public Health Engineering Departments (PHED) — including suspensions, removals, and FIRs — related to substandard work or misuse of funds.
Additionally, states have been asked to furnish one-page summaries of all FIR cases and verify the accuracy of data through “ground truthing” to detect issues such as duplicate entries, delays, or over-designed projects.
Officials said the move follows a high-level review of the flagship rural water supply scheme, during which the government also discussed the possibility of extending the Mission’s completion deadline to 2028. (Agencies)
