CAG report on Maharashtra's Jal Jeevan Mission flags planning failures, inflated coverage claims

New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) delivered a scathing indictment of Maharashtra's implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), exposing systemic failures in planning, execution, financial management and maintenance.

It also said the state's reported achievement of 85.15 percent Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) by March 2024 was misleading as it included 27.74 lakh households with private or own-source tap connections that were yet to be covered under the mission.

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Excluding these, the actual achievement under the JJM stood at 101.31 lakh connections, or only 69 percent by December 2024, the audit said.

"The achievement of providing FHTC by March 2024 was 85.15 percent which included households having tap connection from private/own source which remained to be covered under JJM," the CAG said.

Such private connections could not be treated as mission achievements as they did not ensure functional water supply, the report added.

The audit found glaring lapses right from the planning stage, stating that none of the test-checked districts carried out the mandatory baseline survey before implementing the scheme.

Although all 24 selected villages prepared Village Action Plans, 13 of them did so without obtaining mandatory gram panchayat resolutions through their Village Water and Sanitation Committees, it said.

The CAG also criticised the preparation of District Action Plans, saying they omitted key components prescribed under JJM guidelines, including quarterly and annual targets for household tap connections, financial planning, water security, land and manpower requirements, and identification of water sources.

It said the absence of a comprehensive State Action Plan weakened resource planning, execution and long-term sustainability.

The auditor further pulled up the state government for failing to frame an Operation and Maintenance policy, warning that the absence of such a framework would adversely affect the upkeep of created infrastructure and the functioning of water supply schemes.

"No Operation and Maintenance policy was prepared or was in place in the state," the CAG said, adding that shortcomings in community participation also undermined the sustainability and ownership objectives envisaged under the flagship programme.

The audit said 13 supply schemes were sanctioned without securing water sources, leading to delays in their completion.

"Two schemes were approved without provision for water treatment plants, resulting in the supply of non-potable water," the report pointed out.

The CAG said the state continued to inflate JJM achievements by counting private tap connections.

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In six selected districts, the JJM dashboard reflected 37.89 lakh tap connections, including 9.64 lakh private or own-source connections that were yet to be brought under the mission.

"Tap connections from private/own source do not ensure functionality and hence cannot be counted as achievement of providing FHTC under JJM," the audit said.

The auditor also flagged weaknesses in financial management, saying delays in releasing central and state funds hampered implementation.

"Against an admissible allocation of Rs 59,740.99 crore during 2019-24, Maharashtra received only Rs 27,657.56 crore, or 46.30 percent, owing to delays in submission of utilisation certificates and audited accounts. The total expenditure incurred on implementation of the mission during the five-year period stood at Rs 26,410.51 crore," the report said.

The CAG recommended that the government strengthen internal controls and monitoring mechanisms to prevent inadmissible expenditure and improve financial discipline in implementing the rural drinking water programme.

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