Only 44% of JJM schemes completed in J&K by Dec 2024: CAG

Suhail Bhat

Srinagar, Oct 2: Only 44 per cent of the schemes taken up under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Jammu and Kashmir between 2019-20 and 2023-24 had been completed by December 2024, while delays in execution, underutilisation of funds and lack of maintenance plans put the sustainability of the projects at risk, the comptroller and Auditor General has found.

The audit, covering the period from 2019-20 to 2023-24, found that 1,440 of the 3,253 schemes taken up under the programme had been completed by December 2024.

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The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched on August 15, 2019, aimed to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural household by December 2024. The deadline was later extended to 2028.

According to the audit, 14,43,515 households, or 77.15 per cent, had been provided with tap connections as of March 31, 2024. The targets fixed under Functional Household Tap Connections in the State Annual Action Plans were not achieved. The year-wise achievement ranged between 6 per cent and 45 per cent during 2021-24.

In 2021-22, against a target of 4,90,583 FHTCs, 63,212 were provided, achieving 13 per cent. In 2022-23, against a target of 7,73,639, only 42,555 FHTCs were provided, achieving 6 per cent. In 2023-24, 3,47,425 FHTCs were provided against a target of 7,68,789, achieving 45 per cent.

In 2019-20, 2,07,301 FHTCs were provided against a target of 2,48,382, while in 2020-21, 2,15,578 were provided against a target of 2,32,731.

As of August 15, 2019, there were 18,71,136 households in Jammu and Kashmir, of which 5,75,466, or 30.75 per cent, had tap water connections.

During 2019-20 to 2023-24, 8,76,071 additional FHTCs were stated to have been achieved. As of March 31, 2024, 14,43,515, or 77.15 per cent, households were reported to have been provided with FHTCs.

The audit found a difference of 8,022 connections between the year-wise achievements and the achievement reported as of March 31, 2024. The reasons were not available on record.

The audit found that the institutional mechanism for implementing the programme was not fully operational or effective. There were shortfalls in the prescribed number of meetings of District Water Sanitation Missions, a lack of a bottom-up approach in preparing action plans and non-preparation of District Annual Action Plans.

Despite sizable fund allocations, the government persistently underutilised funds during the initial years of the programme. Idle balances accumulated, schemes were delayed and rural households faced delays in accessing potable water.

The audit also found that Jammu and Kashmir could not receive the full allocation of Central assistance because of delays in utilising funds and failure to meet the conditions for fund release.

In the four sampled districts of Kulgam, Anantnag, Kishtwar and Doda, only 429 of the 853 schemes taken up under JJM had been physically completed by November 2024.

The department had not prepared operation and maintenance plans for the upkeep of assets created under the schemes. It had also failed to establish a mechanism to ensure the availability of trained manpower at the village level, as required under the programme guidelines.

The audit said the department had not assessed the district-wise requirement for skilled manpower or engaged with the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana for training, certification and deployment of local youth for maintenance work.

It warned that the absence of a planned framework for maintenance and local capacity building put the sustainability of completed schemes at risk.

The execution of works was also affected by deficiencies in tendering, delays in signing agreements with contractors and starting work. Social audits of the programme had not been conducted, while water quality tests that failed at block- or district-level laboratories were not referred to higher testing laboratories for further investigation.

The audit also found no significant decline in waterborne diseases in the districts examined, except in Doda, where 48 per cent of JJM schemes had been completed.

In Kishtwar and Kulgam, where only 29 per cent and 36 per cent of the schemes had been completed, respectively, waterborne diseases remained prevalent and had shown an increasing trend over the previous five years. In Anantnag, where 63 per cent of the schemes had been completed, there had been no significant decline in waterborne diseases over the same period.

The audit further found that funds released for support activities ranged from 0.17 per cent to 3.30 per cent, below the prescribed ceiling of 5 per cent. For Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance activities, the release ranged from 0.08 per cent to 1.07 per cent, against the prescribed allocation of 2 per cent.

It said the funding shortfalls and poor utilisation of funds under these components indicated inadequate emphasis after 2021-22 on water quality surveillance, community awareness and institutional capacity building.

The audit recommended that the government ensure a bottom-up approach to preparing plans in accordance with JJM operational guidelines, prioritise the time-bound completion of all incomplete schemes and establish a time-bound framework for allotment of works and procurement of material.

It also called for strengthening the water quality monitoring system and the social audit mechanism.