In the midst of concerns in government sections that work contracts under the Water Life Mission (JJM) have been inflated in some states, Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil has said that the Center has stopped payment of tender premium under the Rural Nal Jal Yojana – the tender premium refers to the additional amount, which is higher than a bidder quotes, which is higher than the approved cost of the government.
Answer a question in the idea exchange program of The Indian Express (A detailed transcript of the conversation will be published next week), Patil said, “said,”The Bhugan of the tender premium is stopped. Joe Thaha, who must have sung is a different butt, but who is a new,
(We have stopped paying the tender premium. Whatever was there is a different case, but what is new has been completely stopped). ,
He said that once the tender process is over, there should be no facility like tender premium after that. “We think the money is unnecessarily ruined,” he said.
Patil said that the new JJM guidelines to be declared for the next phase of the program would not provide for the payment of tender premium – the government has announced the expansion of JJM by 2028.
Their comment comes at a time when government sections have expressed concern that JJM work contracts were inflated in some states. Earlier this year, a panel, headed by an expenditure secretary, recommended a 46 percent reduction in the proposal of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to complete the mission in the four years ended in December 2028.
Indian Express Report on 21 May.
The payment of tender premium in the original JJM guidelines was prohibited. The ‘operational guidelines for the implementation of the Water Life Mission released in December 2019: Har Ghar Jal’, were clearly stated that all the schemes sanctioned under JJM would be implemented without cost and time.
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The guidelines stated, “In case of any cost increase beyond the approved cost, it will have to be borne with the Legislature by the State and UTS and no additional expenses out of the central share will be allowed.”
The 2019 guidelines also listed the tender premium in the ‘thoughtful list of unknown expenses’. But in June 2022, the ministry made a significant change in these guidelines, with the approval of the “competent authority”. The Ministry defined the ‘approved cost’ and removed the ‘tender premium’, which was from the thoughtful list of unknown expenses.
The revised guidelines broadcast to states on June 21, 2022 stated, “The ‘approved cost’ for this purpose will be an open, transparent and competitive bidding cost.”
The new guidelines also states that wherever such a ‘approved cost’ was 10% to 25% above the estimated cost, on which the tender for a project/scheme was invited, the approval of the head of the state level scheme will have to be taken before the award of the work.
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The guidelines stated that such a ‘approved cost’ was more than 25% of the estimated cost, on which the tender for a project/scheme was invited, the approved by the head of the top committee of the State Water and Sanitation Mission would have to be taken before the award.
On May 21 this year, The Indian Express Told that the data uploaded by states and UTS on water life mission dashboard Showed that these important changes in JJM guidelines Three years ago, the check lifted at the expense, and the cost increased. As a result, the total cost for 14,586 schemes increased to Rs 16,839 crore, which increased by 14.58 percent from their estimated cost.
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).
To meet the additional requirement of funds, the Ministry had approached the Finance Committee under the chairmanship of the Expenditure Secretary, which approved an additional central funds of more than Rs 2.79 lakh crore and Rs 2.08 lakh crore. But EFC recommended only Rs 1.51 lakh crore as a central share, which was 46 percent less sought by the Ministry.
Connection (T) Tap (T) Ministry of Water Power (T) Every Home Jal (T) Central Fund (T) Indian Express
