Bengal Utilised Only Half of Jal Jeevan Mission Central Funds, Centre Tells Parliament

The Union government on Wednesday clarified in Parliament that there are no pending central dues under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for West Bengal, stating that fund releases were carried out strictly in line with mission guidelines and approved timelines.

Responding to a starred question in the lok Sabha, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Patil said that although West Bengal was allocated a substantial central share under JJM over the past six years, the state could utilise only about half of it due to procedural delays.

According to the minister, between 2019–20 and 2024–25, West Bengal was allotted ₹24,645 crore as the Centre’s contribution. However, the state was able to withdraw only ₹13,027.84 crore. The shortfall, he explained, was largely because of delays in submitting utilisation certificates, project proposals, and mandatory documentation as prescribed under JJM norms and Ministry of Finance rules.

The minister further explained that funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission are released on a “just-in-time” basis. This mechanism is designed to prevent the parking of unused funds with states and ensures that money is released only after compliance with predefined conditions.

He also informed the House that the entire central outlay approved by the Union Cabinet for the original mission period up to 2023–24 has already been fully utilised at the national level. As a result, there is currently no additional central funding available under the original framework.

The Centre has therefore advised West Bengal to complete its ongoing JJM projects using state resources, as the central financing window for the initial phase of the mission has formally closed.

Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide every rural household with a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) delivering 55 litres of safe drinking water per person per day.

At the national level, the scheme has shown significant progress. As of December 15, 2025, about 17.76 crore rural households, or 81.42% of rural homes across India, had access to tap water. This marks a sharp increase from just 3.23 crore households (16.7%) when the mission began.

West Bengal’s progress, however, has lagged behind the national average. At the start of the mission, only 2.15 lakh rural households (1.22%) in the state had tap water connections. As of mid-December 2025, the number has risen to 99.09 lakh households, covering 56.46% of the state’s estimated 1.75 crore rural households.

The Centre also informed Parliament that the Jal Jeevan Mission has been extended until December 2028, with an enhanced allocation proposed in the Union Budget 2025–26. However, the release of fresh central funds will depend on the formal approval of the extended mission framework and the issuance of revised operational guidelines.

The government’s reply makes it clear that the Centre does not accept claims of withheld payments to West Bengal under JJM, maintaining that fund flow was conditional on the state’s timely compliance with procedural requirements rather than any deliberate delay by the Union government.