See Full Document Text
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION
RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *250#
ANSWERED ON 16/03/2026
JAL JEEVAN MISSION AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
*250#. SHRI AMAR PAL MAURYA
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government is aware of the reports of financial irregularities and poor-quality work
involving certain departmental officials and contractors as of late 2025;
(b) if so, the details of the action taken in this regard;
(c) whether Government has ensured hundred per cent access to safe drinking water free from
Arsenic and Fluoride contamination in all rural settlements; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI C R PATIL)
(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the table of the House.
Page 1 of 3Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) in respect of Rajya Sabha Starred Question
No. *250 for reply on 16.03.2026 regarding Jal Jeevan Mission and Financial Accountability
asked by Shri Amar Pal Maurya
(a) & (b) As per the data reported by all States/ UTs, a total of 18,790 complaints have been received
by States/ UTs from different sources such as media reports, suo-moto cognizance, references from
public representatives, citizens, grievance portal, etc. regarding financial irregularities and poor
quality of works under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). As reported by the States/ UTs, action has been
taken against 635 departmental officials, 1,020 contractors, and 155 Third Party Inspection Agencies
(TPIAs). The State-wise details of complaints received and action taken against officials, contractors
and third-party agencies are annexed. The action taken against departmental officials includes
framing of charge sheets, departmental inquiries, disciplinary action, lodging of FIRs, issuance of
show cause notice and suspension, as per established procedures. In the case of contractors, actions
taken include blacklisting or recommendation for blacklisting, termination of contracts, debarment,
forfeiture of earnest money deposits and imposition of penalties, depending on the nature of violation.
Furthermore, States/ UTs have been repeatedly advised to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward
any financial, procedural, or quality-related violations. All States/ UTs have been advised to ensure
that every complaint is duly examined, field verification is carried out promptly, and all required
disciplinary, contractual, and legal actions are taken without exception to uphold transparency and
accountability of the mission.
(c) & (d) Under JJM, priority has been accorded to habitations affected by water quality affected
habitations. issues, including Arsenic and Fluoride contamination. The operational guidelines for
implementation of JJM provide for installation of community water purification plants (CWPPs), in
such habitations, to ensure the supply of potable water for drinking and cooking purposes at the rate
of 8–10 litres per capita per day (lpcd) until piped water supply schemes compliant with JJM
standards are commissioned.
At the time of launch of JJM, States/UTs had reported 14,020 Arsenic-affected and 7,996 Fluoride-
affected rural habitations on JJM-IMIS. With the expansion of piped water supply infrastructure
under JJM, the number of affected habitations has significantly reduced and, as on date, 314 Arsenic-
affected (Punjab – 257 & West Bengal – 57) and 244 Fluoride-affected (Punjab – 119, Rajasthan –
76, West Bengal - 35 & Odisha -14) habitations remain. As reported by States/UTs, safe drinking
water arrangements have been made in these habitations through CWPPs or other suitable
alternative measures. Thus, as reported by States/UTs on IMIS as on date, all rural habitations of the
country are provided safe drinking water free from Arsenic and Fluoride contamination.
*****
Page 2 of 3Annexure
Annexure referred in the reply to part (a) & (b) of Rajya Sabha starred question no.250
answered on 16.03.2026
No. of
No. of TPIA
No. of Dept. contractors
against
Total no. of officials against against
Sr.no. State/UT whom action
complaints whom action whom action
has been
taken has been
taken
taken
1 A & N Islands 0 0 0 0
2 Andhra Pradesh 0 0 0 0
3 Arunachal Pradesh 0 0 0 0
4 Assam 1226 17 3 3
5 Bihar 0 0 0 0
6 Chhattisgarh 329 2 11 1
7 DD&DNH 0 0 0 0
8 Goa 0 0 0 0
9 Gujarat 1 12 112 0
10 Haryana 4 0 0 0
11 Himachal Pradesh 3 0 0 0
12 Jammu & Kashmir 24 0 0 0
13 Jharkhand 152 24 4 3
14 Karnataka 169 7 99 1
15 Kerala 25 1 1 0
16 Ladakh 1 1 0 0
17 Lakshadweep 0 0 0 0
18 Madhya Pradesh 37 151 9 0
19 Maharashtra 154 1 5 0
20 Manipur 19 4 39 0
21 Meghalaya 8 3 0 0
22 Mizoram 1 0 0 0
23 Nagaland 14 6 0 0
24 Odisha 4 0 1 0
25 Puducherry 0 0 0 0
26 Punjab 6 0 0 0
27 Rajasthan 176 170 53 2
28 Sikkim 0 0 0 0
29 Tamil Nadu 45 5 2 0
30 Telangana 0 0 0 0
31 Tripura 1 0 388 0
32 Uttar Pradesh 16178 196 120 145
33 Uttarakhand 40 35 0 0
34 West Bengal 173 0 173 0
Total 18,790 635 1020 155
Page 3 of 3