89 out of 119 JJM survey reports submitted: Patil

Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil on Wednesday said that nearly 89 of the 119 central teams deputed to assess the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) across states have submitted their reports, and the remaining will be in by the end of the month.
“As many as 119 teams were formed in coordination with the DRDO and our ministry officials to carry out ground inspections of the Jal Jeevan Mission schemes. “Of these, 111 teams have completed their survey work and around 89 have already submitted their reports. We expect the remaining to be in by June 30,” Patil said.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, a flagship scheme of the Centre, aims to provide every rural household in India with safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections. The large-scale inspection was initiated following a May 8 review meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan.
Subsequently, the Department of Personnel and Training issued orders deputing 100 teams, including Central government secretaries, joint secretaries, and directors, to conduct the assessments. Underlining the importance of accountability in the implementation of the scheme, Patil said, “We made it clear that if a contractor or anyone else commits an error, they will face strict action. “This led to the formation of these teams for a detailed ground check. The state governments have also been instructed to carry out the necessary rectifications.” Patil also said that no household should face a situation where a tap connection exists but there is no water. “We have told the states that if water sources are drying up, they must create new ones using their own funds to ensure uninterrupted supply,” the minister said. The inspections covered several key states, including Madhya Pradesh, which has the highest number of schemes under review (27), followed by Rajasthan (21), Uttar Pradesh (18), and Karnataka (16). The other states include Odisha, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.