The Jammu and Kashmir administration held a press conference on Wednesday in Srinagar, addressing allegations of financial irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation. Jal Shakti Department Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra (IAS:1992:AGMUT) stated that strict adherence to general financial rules and e-tendering had been followed in the UT since 2019.
Kabra emphasized that while there had been reports of a ₹13,000 crore scam, the actual expenditure under the mission was ₹3,088 crore, with ₹2,500 crore spent since August 2020. The allegations were first raised by IAS officer Ashok Parmar (IAS:1992:AGMUT) and later taken up by opposition parties, targeting the administration, including Lieutenant General Manoj Sinha and the Union government, for handling Parmar’s transfers instead of investigating the alleged scam.
Parmar had alleged irregularities in tendering for pipe supply. Kabra stressed that all allotments of works and procurement of pipe material had been done through transparent tendering since 2019, with every transaction available on the department’s website.
The JJM scheme’s goal is to provide potable drinking water to all rural homes via taps by 2024. Kabra emphasized the use of electronic mediums for all transactions and approvals, ensuring transparency in the process.
