CAG flags lapses in Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh; Govt blames Congress regime

Raipur, Jul 14 (PTI) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged serious deficiencies in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Chhattisgarh, stating that inadequate planning, poor execution, weak monitoring and flawed reporting have jeopardised the sustainability of drinking water supply schemes in the state. The findings are part of the CAG's 'Performance Audit of Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh for the period ended March 2024' which was tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday by Finance Minister O P Choudhary. The report said implementation of water supply schemes under the flagship programme suffered from inadequate planning, poor design of solar-based systems, execution of projects without ensuring sustainable water sources, inadequate water quality testing infrastructure, gaps in financial planning and community participation, and weak institutional monitoring. It also pointed to inflated reporting of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) without ensuring completion of scheme and ascertaining its functionality. Incorrect certification of villages under the 'Har Ghar Jal' programme further marred the scheme, it said. The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by the Centre in August 2019, aims to provide tap connections to every rural household. According to the report, 3.20 lakh rural households (HHs), accounting for six per cent of the total, had FTHC when the mission was launched. By March 2024, the state had reported providing FHTCs to 38.97 lakh rural households, or 78 per cent of the total, including 1.48 lakh private connections, by spending Rs 11,034.26 crore. Chhattisgarh ranked 23rd among states in FHTC coverage, it said. But the audit found that the prescribed bottom-up planning process -- from Village Action Plans to District Action Plans and the State Action Plan -- was not followed. The State Action Plan was not prepared, while District Action Plans were drawn up without corresponding Village Action Plans. Implementing Support Agencies were engaged only after Village Action Plans had been prepared, defeating the objective of community participation at the planning stage. The report further noted that no State-level water security plan had been prepared, resulting in the absence of a long-term strategy for ensuring sustainable water sources and maintenance of schemes. Against the target of providing tap connections to 50 lakh households by March 2025, 40.10 lakh FHTCs had been installed. However, 13.31 lakh connections, or 33 per cent, were non-functional as of January 2025 due to reasons such as dry water sources, incomplete overhead tanks, absence of electricity connections and non-installation of solar pumps. The report said that all 19,656 villages in the state were to be certified as 'Har Ghar Jal' (HGJ) by March 2024, but only 716 villages, or 3.64 per cent, had received the certification. Audit also found instances where villages were certified despite incomplete works. As of March 2024, none of Chhattisgarh's 33 districts and 146 blocks had achieved 100 per cent household tap water coverage. Among the districts, Dhamtari recorded the highest FHTC coverage at 98 per cent, while Balodabazar reported 76 per cent. The remaining 15 districts had coverage ranging between 56 and 74 per cent, it said. The audit also highlighted slow implementation of projects. Of the 29,153 Single Village Schemes and 70 Multi Village Schemes sanctioned under JJM, only 172 Single Village Schemes had been completed and merely 32 handed over to Gram Panchayats by March 2024, it said. No Multi Village Scheme had been completed by March 2025, affecting the target of providing 9.85 lakh tap connections through surface water sources, it said. The Solar Photo Voltaic (Solar) based water schemes failed to meet the prescribed minimum service level for drinking water for 28,984 households due to overloading of FHTCs connections beyond the capacity of installed solar system, it said. The State Mission could not mobilise funds of Rs 6,480.04 crore from Centre (Rs 3,285.38 crore) and State contribution (Rs 3,194.66 crore), it said. It also found that district authorities had failed to prepare financial convergence plans by pooling resources from schemes such as MGNREGS, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), District Mineral Foundation funds, MPLADS and CSR funds. The audit flagged shortcomings in water quality monitoring, saying only four of the state's 75 laboratories were equipped to test all 13 prescribed water quality parameters. It also noted that 37 per cent of laboratories lacked accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), while water testing in schools and anganwadi centres was not being conducted as per prescribed norms. "The implementation of water supply schemes under JJM faced sustainability challenges due to inadequate planning, poor designing of Solar based systems, execution of schemes without ensuring availability of sustainable water sources, lack of water quality testing facilities, inadequate testing, gaps in financial resources and community engagement, and weak institutional monitoring," the report said. It warned that the risk of failure in ensuring sustainable drinking water supply to the rural population remained high. The CAG recommended timely completion of pending works, better inter-departmental coordination for convergence of funds, review of the process for reporting and certifying 'Har Ghar Jal' villages, strengthening of NABL-accredited water testing laboratories and greater focus on community ownership and sustainable water source planning. Responding to the report, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission had gathered pace after the BJP government assumed office in December 2023. He alleged that the previous Congress government had left the scheme in a poor condition and said the present government prepared a concrete action plan to ensure safe drinking water to every household. He said the mission, originally scheduled for completion in 2024, had been delayed due to the previous government, following which the Centre extended the programme till 2028. The second phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission, approved by the Centre in March 2026, would be implemented in a phased manner, he added. PTI TKP KRK