Amrutdhara to offer clean water to all villages via Jal Jeevan Mission: Pawan Kalyan
Vijayawada: The Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has accused the previous government of “misusing” the ₹4,000 crore allocated by the Centre under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Pawan alleged that, in the past few years, the pipelines were laid without first identifying the water sources.
The Deputy Chief Minister was addressing a state-level workshop on the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, organised here by the rural water supply and sanitation department. He announced that now, as part of the Amrutdhara, the “Centre is working with full commitment to complete the Jal Jeevan Mission works” across AP.
He suggested that people should be involved in the Jal Jeevan Mission work. “It is necessary to create new water sources in addition to refurbishing the existing water sources. There should be a solid plan for water management and supply.”
Pawan said the authorities should coordinate and work on how to start the Jal Jeevan Mission work, how to take it forward and how to complete it firmly.
He suggested that a special time should be allocated for complaints (grievances) from the people instead of just doing the work and leaving. The drinking water needs of the people living in rural areas should be identified and met.
The Deputy Chief Minister said, “Before the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, when the Centre asked the states how much funds each state would require, to provide drinking water to everyone, UP asked for ₹ 1.50 lakh crore, Madhya Pradesh ₹ 83,000 crore, Gujarat ₹ 32,000 crore and Kerala ₹ 45,000 crore. From AP, the YSRC government had sent proposals for only ₹ 26,000 crore. The Centre sanctioned works worth ₹ 4,787 crore for AP in the first phase.”
There, he said, is a provision that the state should put in a matching sum as the state's share in the central government scheme. Since the AP government did not release a matching grant for the Jal Jeevan Mission works, the funds given by the Centre could not be utilised to the full.
Pawan Kalyan said, “95.44 lakh drinking water taps have to be connected through 38 major reservoirs in the state. However, the previous government did things in strange ways. It spent ₹4,000 crore against the rules of the central Jal Jeevan Mission.”
“Where should water be brought from? Foolishly, they first laid pipelines in the villages. We have worked hard to provide water from reservoirs and water sources to the villages under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme.”
He added, “Recently, when I met Union minister CR Patil, he asked me to submit a Detailed Project Report on the state’s request for ₹70,000 crore for the water scheme. We are preparing a full project report by January 2025 related to the works to provide safe, clean water to all the villages in the state.”
Pawan said that according to the figures given by the previous government, water taps were provided to 70.04 lakh families. “But tap connections were yet to be given to 25.40 lakh families.”
After conducting the pulse survey for 4 weeks, it was found that out of the 85.22 lakh families, only 55.37 lakh families had been provided with tap connections, and 29.85 lakh families would have to be provided with connections, the Deputy Chief Minister added.
