In the year 2019 only, it was found that half of the country’s households did not have access to piped water and on this count, as a natural corollary, therefore, the hardships and difficulties faced by such a huge portion of the country’s population could well be visualised. Jal Jeewan Mission, a centrally sponsored scheme was, therefore, initiated under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to aim at providing piped water supply to each and every household hitherto deprived of this basic facility. Not only this, but a target oriented ingredient of cent percent achievement across the country by the end of 2024 too was made the most important aspect of this scheme. In this connection, despite availability of funds for implementation of all the provisions of the scheme, where does the UT of Jammu and Kashmir stand, knowing all about that becomes extremely important. While an inbuilt mechanism of austere monitoring and follow up should have been there to keep assessing the performance at short periodic intervals so as to address the areas of weaknesses or even those reasons requiring special attention, both technical and administrative, Standing Committee of Parliament Members on Water Resources, in its report has done that job.
The Standing Committee comprising 29 members of the Parliament has painted a very grim picture of performance under the scheme in Jammu and Kashmir and curiously found that even funds provided have not been fully spent. Equally, in preparation of Village Action Plans (VAPs) ,there has been inordinate delays caused and in the same manner, the fate of constituting Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) is hazy. In other words, how many villages have so far been covered and mandatory ground work done is precisely not known in respect of collecting the data of the pattern and manner of water availability in respective villages, rainfall pattern, position of ground water level, drought situation, water harvesting and numerous other related issues which have a direct bearing on the said scheme along with the remedial measures. There are what we call ‘Aspirational districts’ and there are two such districts where as against existing 3.10 lakh households, only 1.85 lakh households are provided piped water connections or in other words 59.61 percent achievement or progress having been made till the first week of February this year. So far as Panchayat Ghars, Health Centres, Community centres and other Government offices in rural areas are concerned, percentage of coverage under the scheme is slightly over 77 percent. These figures have been incorporated by the Standing Committee in its report which speaks about unsatisfactory levels of implementation of one of the most important schemes like the one under reference. The Committee has, therefore, asked the Union Jal Ministry to take up the matter with the UT Government.
As regards various supporting components like establishment of water quality testing labs at district, block and Tehsil levels, as also mobile testing laboratories so that every household could get safe and clean drinking water, though there are such laboratories at district and Tehsil levels yet mobile laboratories are nowhere to be seen. In this connection, steps needed to be taken earnestly so that quality testing of water facilities could be requisitioned on demand.
Noteworthy factor about the concerned scheme is that the Union Ministry having allocated Rs. 2748 crore to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir for implementing various components of the scheme released Rs.604.18 crore, out of which the UT Government spent only Rs.52.21 crore hence just 22 percent of the funds having been utilized during 2020-21. How can in such a manner the expected speed of work towards satisfactory implementation take place. No doubt, work is going on under the scheme but with fits and starts and keeping in mind the time limit of ”by 2024” of cent percent coverage coupled with a wide gap being there between achievement and the targets to be met, much needs to be done with regular monitoring. The UT Government must arrange to acquaint the implementing core teams with the success stories of the scheme of those districts across the country which, ahead of the deadline of 2024, have already ensured and achieved cent percent coverage so that areas needing peculiar emphasis or a push could be identified and energized. In the meantime, the shortcomings and deficiencies observed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in the UT about implementation process of the scheme must be addressed on top priority.
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