The Center on Wednesday added 12 teams of central nodal officers to 100 already deployed for ground inspection of water life mission schemes across the country. Out of the earlier announced teams, 18 officials, who started fan on Monday, have also been replaced.
New teams will conduct ground inspection of JJM works in the districts of Nuh in Haryana, Nuh districts in Kerala, Panna and Ujjain in MP, Gajapati in Odisha, Gajapati in UP, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, Chithargarh in Jillshan, Chithargarh, Punjab.
The first 100 CNO teams were announced by the Center on 19 May; The Ministry of Water Power has already undergone its training and some of them have already come to the prescribed districts.
The Center’s decision to review the JJM schemes comes two months after an expense secretary -headed panel, as reported by the Indian Express on April 21, 2023, proposed a deduction of 46% in funding proposals of Rs 2.79 lakh crore to the funding proposal of the Ministry of Water Resources for the four years ending December 2028. Officials said some states inflated the work contracts.
Since the launch of JJM in 2019, 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with a total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore – has been approved by the states – more than double the original outlay of the scheme (Rs 2.08 lakh crore, Rs 2.08 lakh crore, Rs 1.52 lakh crore).
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