So Jharkhand government signed big MoU with the Centre for tap water in every rural house . And on surface,it looks like very good news ah .
But when you read details,you see real problem. The agreement for Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 was signed on June 2 in New Delhi . Union Minister C.R. Patil was there,state's minister Yogendra Prasad was there,and CM Hemant Soren joined on video .
And during this meeting only,CM Soren raised the big issue of money. He straight up asked the Centre to release around ₹6,500 crore that is apparently pending for the state.
He said that since 2019-20,Jharkhand has been working on drinking water projects worth ₹24,635 crore . This includes both multi-village and single-village schemes. But state has received only 46% of approved central money so far.
And tbh,how can you keep projects running fast if almost half the money is not there? That's a huge gap.
CM Soren also highlighted other problems getting in the way . He said that delays in getting no-objection certificates from different central departments are also slowing things down badly.
Few key points from the discussion:
- CM Soren says state is waiting for ₹6,500 crore from Centre.
- Over 55% of the projects started are already finished,but pace is issue now .
- State is already paying 'Jal Sahiyas' ₹2,500 monthly to manage water schemes.
But Centre's response was also very clear. Minister C.R. Patil said that the government will not give any separate money for just routine operation and maintenance . He suggested that this cost should be managed from the grants given to Panchayati Raj institutions under 16th Finance Commission.
So one side is asking for pending funds to complete projects,and other side is saying no extra funds for maintenance later on . It feels like two different conversations happening at same time .
Everyone agrees that providing tap water to every village is the main goal . But if there is this much back-and-forth about money and approvals,you have to wonder how fast things will actually move on the ground…
