Chief Secretary Shri Jain Expresses Satisfaction over Jal Jeevan Mission Works

Under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of delivering not only tap water but also happiness to every household, and Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav’s mission to realise this goal, officers of the Public Health Engineering Department are working with full commitment. Chief Secretary Shri Anurag Jain conducted a detailed review of the Jal Jeevan Mission works on Tuesday at the ministry. He directed that the remaining projects under the mission be expedited and that the target of providing clean drinking water to every household in every village be achieved within the stipulated timeframe. He emphasised the strict implementation of all processes related to quality control and periodic review. The government aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and quality at every level in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, with a zero-tolerance policy for negligence. He expressed satisfaction over the achievement of providing tap water connections to 80,52,082 households so far. It was informed in the meeting that this progress is over 72 per cent and that Madhya Pradesh is emerging as a leading state in the country.

Principal Secretary Shri P. Narhari reported that every possible effort is being made to ensure that the Jal Jeevan Mission is completed within the set timeframe with full quality and without any financial irregularities. Due to delays in execution, 280 agencies have been blacklisted so far, while 22 contractors have also been blacklisted and their contracts terminated. Disciplinary action has been taken against 10 officials for supplying substandard materials and violating tender procedures. When a case of fake bank guarantees came to the department’s notice, the contractor was terminated, and a case was registered with the CBI. The department has also imposed penalties amounting to nearly ₹30 crore on various agencies.

In line with the Chief Secretary’s directives, Principal Secretary of Public Health Engineering Shri P. Narhari constituted district-level Revision Scheme Testing Committees chaired by the respective Chief Engineers, including officers from the Water Corporation, to test the revised schemes. These committees conducted plan-wise testing of 8,358 single-village tap water schemes. Based on the committee’s reports, the government adopted a strict administrative stance, taking serious note of negligence even in crucial public-oriented works like the Jal Jeevan Mission. Consequently, 141 officials, from sub-engineers to executive engineers, were issued show-cause notices for preparing faulty DPRs of the original village schemes, and 187 agencies involved in DPR preparation were also issued notices.

Madhya Pradesh has been implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission since 2020. Under the mission, groundwater-based single-village schemes and surface-water-based multi-village water supply schemes are being executed to provide safe drinking water through functional household tap connections to every rural family. Instances had come to light where certain hamlets, settlements, or localities were inadvertently left out of some single-village schemes, resulting in complaints from families who had not received tap connections. Taking cognisance of these issues, Chief Secretary Shri Anurag Jain had directed that the reasons for the revision of single-village schemes be tested and verified plan-wise by senior officers of the Public Health Engineering Department and the Madhya Pradesh Water Corporation. He had also directed action against field officials responsible for negligence in preparing the original DPRs.

It was reiterated that there will be no compromise on quality or transparency in any scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and all officers and agencies involved will be held fully accountable. The department has also accorded high priority to road restoration works, ensuring regular review and quality standards.

During the meeting, it was informed that for the past year, while the state awaited central funds, the Government of Madhya Pradesh continued the mission using its own budget, enabling the state to remain at the forefront nationally.