Jal Jeevan Mission: Centre names Kerala worst-performing state in rural water scheme

Thiruvananthapuram: The Centre has stated that Kerala is the lagging state in the country in the Jal Jeevan project aimed at providing drinking water to all rural households, as per reports. While 80.95 per cent of the project has been completed at the national level, it is only 54.66 per cent in Kerala.

The scheme, which was launched in 2020 with a target of 5 years, has now been extended until 2028. 11 states have provided piped connections to all rural households. States such as Telangana and Punjab, which have each provided more than half a crore connections, have achieved the target. Uttar Pradesh, which has provided over 2 crore connections, along with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bihar, which have each provided more than 1 crore connections, have also reached 90 per cent or above. Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Kerala have provided connections in less than 60 per cent.

Financial crisis is the reason

The expenditure in Kerala is around Rs 44,000 crore. The Central and Kerala governments are providing the money jointly. Rs 11,643 crore has been spent so far.

The Central government had set aside Rs 70,000 crore for the project in the financial year 2023–24. However, Kerala could not even utilise the amount allocated by the Centre due to the financial crisis. The amount can be spent only if the state also allocates an equal share. The contractors have arrears of around Rs 4,000 crore. The Water Authority explained that the different social conditions in the northern Indian states and Kerala have affected the project. The villages in Kerala are like urban areas. It is also said that issues, including tar cutting, have affected the implementation of the project in Kerala.

In State

Total houses: 70,77,273

Those with drinking water connections: 38,68,451

Remaining: 32,08,822