PM Modi Cracks Whip on Jal Jeevan Mission Irregularities; 7 States to Pay Rs 129.27 Cr in Penalties

PTI,  NEW DELHI, NOV 25, 2025 : The Centre has slapped penalties amounting to Rs 129.27 crore on seven states, with Gujarat facing the highest fine, for irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), following a directive from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spare no one in the flagship initiative.

The Centre launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in 2019 with the goal of providing tap water connections to every household in the country over a period of five years. The seven states from which recoveries have been initiated are Tamil Nadu (Rs 3 lakh), Tripura (Rs 1.22 crore), Assam (Rs 5.08 lakh), Maharashtra (Rs 2.02 crore), Karnataka (Rs 1.01 crore), Rajasthan (Rs 5.34 crore), and Gujarat.

A senior official said the Centre has initiated proceedings to recover Rs 120.65 crore in penalties from Gujarat and has managed to recover Rs 6.65 crore so far. Of the total Rs 129.27 crore in penalties, the government has recovered Rs 12.95 crore so far.

The Prime Minister has directed strict monitoring of the scheme and adopted a zero-tolerance approach to any financial, procedural, or quality-related violations. The initial outlay of the scheme was Rs 3.60 lakh crore, but spending on it has already exceeded Rs 4.33 lakh crore.

The scheme faced complaints from across the country regarding alleged irregularities in its implementation, prompting the government to carry out on-ground verification. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the extension of the scheme until 2028, but no decision has been taken on the allocation of funds pending reports on the inquiry into the irregularities, the official said.

The release of funds for the extended period of the scheme has been linked to action being taken against the irregularities committed in the implementation of the JJM.

The official said that under the JJM initiative, water pipelines and overhead tanks were built across the country to provide potable water to 19.36 crore households. However, the scheme ran into problems regarding operation and maintenance as several gram panchayats were not well-equipped for the purpose, the officials added.

"As of date, 32 states/UTs have submitted action reports. Twenty states—namely Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and West Bengal—have reported cases of irregularities, and action has been taken in 607 cases against 62 department officials, 969 contractors, and 153 Third Party Inspection Agencies (TPIA)," the official said, giving an update on the action taken on complaints.

The official also reported that nine FIRs have been registered against 20 officials, 10 contractors, and one TPIA. So far, a former minister, 10 officials, and eight contractors have been arrested.

"The remaining 12 states and UTs—Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Puducherry, Sikkim, and Telangana—have submitted nil reports," the official added.