Jharkhand Signs Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 MoU; Hemant Soren Demands ₹6.5K Crore From Centre

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government took a significant step on Tuesday to secure tap water supply for every rural household by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre under the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.

The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Jharkhand government signed the pact at a high-level event in New Delhi. Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Jharkhand Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Yogendra Prasad, and senior officials from both administrations attended the signing ceremony, while Chief Minister Hemant Soren joined the program via video conferencing.

Soren Demands Pending Central Funds

During the event, Chief Minister Soren urged the Centre to release roughly ₹6,500 crore in pending Jal Jeevan Mission funds at the earliest. He noted that since the 2019-20 fiscal year, the state has been executing drinking water schemes worth ₹24,635 crore under the mission, encompassing both multi-village and single-village projects.

Soren highlighted the funding gap, revealing that while the state has completed about 55% of the projects, the Centre has disbursed only 46% of the approved central assistance. He specifically called out the Centre for failing to release adequate funds during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years, stressing that timely financial support alone can maintain the pace of these critical projects.

Bureaucratic Delays and Local Management

The Chief Minister also targeted central departments and agencies, blaming their delayed No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for stalling drinking water projects. He urged the Centre to expedite these clearances.

Highlighting Jharkhand’s grassroots efforts, Soren explained that the state government has appointed village-level ‘Jal Sahiyas’ to operate single-village schemes, paying them a monthly honorarium of ₹2,500. He sought continued central support to sustain this payroll and emphasized that future Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) must include all necessary structural components from the outset.

Centre Clarifies Funding Limits

Responding directly to Jharkhand’s demands, Union Minister C.R. Patil clarified the Centre’s fiscal boundaries, stating that Delhi will not provide separate financial assistance for retrofitting or the routine operation and maintenance of water supply schemes. Instead, he advised the state to fund these recurring expenses using the grants that the 16th Finance Commission allocates to Panchayati Raj institutions.

Patil concluded by demanding that the state implement the schemes effectively and hit its targets within the stipulated timeline.