Siddaramaiah urges centre to release pending funds under Jal Jeevan Mission

Siddaramaiah urges centre to release pending funds under Jal Jeevan Mission

Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday urged the Union Government to immediately release the pending funds and reimburse dues under the Jal Jeevan Mission, claiming that the state has continued implementation by investing ₹17,554 crore despite no central support for over two years.

Siddaramaiah urges centre to release pending funds under Jal Jeevan Mission

The CM said he participated in a video conference with Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil regarding the MoU for Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, reaffirming Karnataka's commitment to ensuring safe and sustainable drinking water for every citizen.

He noted that despite being the second most arid state in the country, facing structural water stress and contamination challenges, the state has made strong progress through a long-term, sustainability-driven approach, prioritising surface water sources and implementing bulk water supply systems to ensure safe and reliable drinking water for every rural household.

According to a statement issued by CM's office, in the conference, Siddaramaiah highlighted that Karnataka has upheld uncompromising quality standards in execution. Every project under the mission has been independently verified by Third-Party Inspection Agencies, ensuring durability, transparency, and engineering excellence.

"We have achieved 88.06 lakh functional household tap connections out of 101.31 lakh rural households, reaching 86.93 per cent coverage as of April 2026. Out of 66,344 works undertaken, nearly 48,789 have been physically completed, including 28,809 in-village works and 19,980 works in schools and anganwadis, significantly strengthening grassroots infrastructure," Siddaramaiah said.

The chief minister alleged that despite the absence of central support over the past two years, Karnataka has invested ₹17,554.63 crore, including ₹8,880.71 crore towards the anticipated central share, demonstrating the state's unwavering commitment to the mission and to its people.

"It is unfortunate that, despite demonstrating uncompromising standards in execution and the State's capacity to drive the nation's progress, the Union Government continues to delay the release of funds," he said.

According to CM, the Union Government has effectively starved Karnataka of funds for over two years, despite making budgetary allocations and the State stepping in to finance even the Centre's share to keep the mission on track.

"We have simultaneously focused on building strong institutional and operational systems. Karnataka is among the first states to implement a comprehensive O&M Policy and Manual. Village water and sanitation committees with gender balance are actively engaged," he said.

He stated that a dedicated PMU for operations is being established, while digital innovations such as the Jeeva Jal application, GIS-based asset management, and real-time monitoring systems are transforming governance.

According to him, notably, over 1.51 lakh women have been trained in water quality testing, strengthening community ownership.

To ensure quality, Karnataka engaged Bureau Veritas for independent verification, conducting sampling-based inspections, document reviews, and technical tests, ensuring sustainable performance and functionality of works, he said.

Siddaramaiah said that further, a Centre of Excellence for water is being established to serve as a knowledge and command hub, while 259 villages have already achieved 24 X 7 water supply, demonstrating the transformative potential of this mission.

He asserted that Karnataka remains fully committed to completing all works in a time-bound manner.

"We urge the Union Government to release the pending and due funds, including reimbursements of advance expenditures, at the earliest. This will ensure continuity, sustain momentum, and enable us to collectively achieve the shared national vision of universal, safe, and sustainable drinking water for all rural citizens," he added.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.