SHARPLY HIGHER COSTS amid issues that some states could have authorized inflated work contracts to offer faucet water connections to rural households below the Jal Jeevan Mission have led an Expenditure Secretary-led panel to suggest a 46 per cent lower within the Centre’s funding help to the Jal Shakti Ministry’s demand for 4 years ending December 2028.
The onus to bridge this legal responsibility — estimated to be over Rs 1.25 lakh crore over the 4 years — could fall on states, which can then strategy the Union authorities, stated officers carefully concerned within the discussions. “As many as16 states are dominated by BJP and its allies and this will likely pressure the Centre’s hand,” stated an official, who didn’t want to be named.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019, aimed to offer faucet connections to about 16 crore rural households to realize saturation protection by December finish 2024. However solely 75 per cent of the goal might be achieved over 5 years, and the remaining 4 crore faucet connections at the moment are proposed to be put in by extending the mission by 4 years until December 31, 2028.
Whereas the Jal Shakti Ministry demanded Rs 2.79 lakh crore Central funds to finish the undertaking, the Expenditure Secretary-chaired Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC), which appraises tasks valued over Rs 500 crore, met March 13 and really helpful solely Rs 1.51 lakh crore, The Indian Categorical has learnt. The EFC additionally lowered the mission’s total outlay by Rs 41,000 crore to Rs 8.69 lakh crore, towards Rs 9.10 lakh crore sought by the Jal Shakti Ministry.
In 2019 when the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme was launched, the EFC had fastened the Jal Jeevan Mission’s outlay at Rs 3.6 lakh crore towards the Jal Shakti Ministry’s demand of Rs 7.89 lakh crore. Data obtainable on the mission dashboard, nevertheless, exhibits states authorized schemes value Rs 8.07 lakh crore in the course of the 5 years (2019-2024).
This sharp escalation in prices most likely led the EFC to curtail the outlay and scale back the Central share to the mission. Sources stated the Jal Shakti Ministry justified the proposed value of Rs 8.07 lakh crore for the authorized scheme (which incorporates Rs 7.68 lakh crore of works awarded and Rs 38,940 crore of works at award stage) in the course of the EFC assembly.
They stated works value Rs 32,364 crore in Maharashtra and poll-bound Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Assam had been nonetheless pending for approval by the State-Degree Scheme Sanctioning Committees. “The Central share of Rs 17,348 crore could should be funded by the states themselves,” the supply stated.
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Within the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme, the Centre and state share funds within the 50:50 ratio.
“These had been authorized after the mission interval, therefore not really helpful by the EFC,” stated a supply who had seen the minutes of the March 13 EFC assembly. The lower in Central funds for the mission may additionally have implications to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore for 3 states—Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the supply quoted above stated.
When contacted, a senior authorities official instructed The Indian Categorical, “EFC solely appraises the undertaking; the involved Ministry can nonetheless request for greater outlays and Central funds and the Union Cupboard can take a view completely different from the EFC.”
For calculating the Centre’s share for putting in 19.36 crore faucet connections below the mission, provides as much as Rs 3.59 lakh crore (the associated fee per connection taken as Rs 47,000 as per the 2019 pointers). Throughout 2019-24, the Centre paid Rs 2.08 lakh crore, so the EFC has now really helpful the steadiness Rs 1.51 lakh crore.
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The March 13 EFC assembly was attended by officers from the ministries of Finance, Jal Shakti, Schooling, Well being and Household Welfare, Tribal Affairs, Cooperation, Girls and Little one Growth, Ability Growth and Entrepreneurship, the Division of Promotion of Trade and Inner Commerce, and NITI Aayog.