Chhattisgarh suspends Centre's Jal Jeevan Yojana, allegations of irregularities in Rs 10,000 crore scheme

- Bhupesh Badal's government cancels tenders

New Delhi 4th November 2020 Wednesday

Bhupesh Badhel's government in Chhattisgarh had stopped the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Yojana in the state due to allegations of irregularities in the central government's Jal Jeevan Yojana. The Chhattisgarh government had four months ago invited offers from various companies for an expression of interest in the Jal Jeevan Yojana.

The project was an ambitious Rs 10,000 crore project. Work orders of the same amount were also given. A statement from Bhupesh Badhel was released on October 26. The gist of it was that the state government canceled all the tenders and decided to take action as per the directions of the central government. According to a report, the local contractors met the chief minister on October 23 and complained that the work orders were given to outsiders instead of to the local contractors.

The Chief Minister immediately constituted a three-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary of State to look into the incident. Three days after the formation of the committee, the state government canceled all tenders.

Out of 1300 companies which received work orders under Jal Jeevan Yojana, 13 companies received work orders worth Rs 100-100 crore. The largest orders went to Jain Irrigation for Rs 933.34 crore, JMC Projects (Rs 722.78 crore) and Patel Engineering (Rs 606.81 crore). Drawing the attention of Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to the cancellation of tenders under Chhattisgarh's Jal Jeevan Yojana, he said water is a matter of state operation. It is the prerogative of the state government to make the necessary plans and implement them in its own way. It should also look at how those people want to move the work forward.

Under this scheme, by September 2023, 41 lakh households in rural areas of Chhattisgarh will be provided with tap water at home. Currently, only ten percent of households in rural areas have running water.