Mumbai, June 26 (IANS) Amid delays in project completion due to a paucity of funds, the Maharashtra government will provide a massive allocation of over Rs 22,898 crore from the state’s own funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission. This funding is in addition to the state’s matching share required by the Central government.

It aims to cover crucial project components, expedite nearly complete water supply schemes, and allow the advance release of state funds before Central funds are received. The decision was taken at the state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The Cabinet has approved an estimated allocation of Rs 22,898 crore from state funds to cover expenses beyond the regular Central-state matching ratio. The Cabinet’s approval comes days after the state government on Monday presented supplementary demands worth Rs 97,706.40 crore amid strained finances.

“The total availability of funds will be around Rs 44,000 crore. In this, Rs 11,000 crore will be given by the Centre and the state will match the same. The remaining Rs 22,898 crore will be borne by the state from its own funds,” an official said.

According to the official, the Rs 22,898 crore has been distributed across several key technological, structural and community initiatives, comprising retrofitting projects worth Rs 10,079.53 crore, revised water supply schemes worth Rs 8,233.23 crore, community contribution of Rs 2,337.62 crore (to be provisioned by the Rural Development Department through the Finance Commission and other grants), water quality, inadmissible costs and support components worth Rs 1,138.60 crore, Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives worth Rs 692.00 crore, electrochlorination units (EC) worth Rs 328.63 crore, and National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) schemes worth Rs 89.04 crore.

To ensure that villages reap the benefits of these projects without delay, the Cabinet has earmarked dedicated funds to fast-track schemes that are already in advanced stages of physical completion.

For schemes that are 75 per cent to 99 per cent complete, the state will provide Rs 5,934 crore from its own funds to ensure that these nearly finished projects are completed on priority.

An allocation of Rs 3,769 crore from the state’s funds has been approved to finalise fully completed projects. A sum of Rs 680 crore has been sanctioned for support components and water quality monitoring for both categories of projects.

Furthermore, the government will provide community contributions worth Rs 543 crore for fully completed schemes and Rs 816 crore for schemes that are 75 per cent to 99 per cent complete through Finance Commission allocations and other grants. By authorising the advance release of these funds from the state treasury, the government aims to eliminate bureaucratic delays, ensuring that the dream of Har Ghar Jal (water in every home) becomes a reality across rural Maharashtra.

The state government’s move to allocate funds from its own kitty assumes significance as the government, during the winter session, had stated that the state had not received Central funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission from October 2024 and was using its own resources to complete the ongoing projects. The state had accepted that a lack of funds had hampered the pace of the ongoing works. The government further stated that a total of 51,560 schemes had been sanctioned under the mission, of which 25,429 were still ongoing.

On Wednesday, in a written reply submitted to the Legislative Assembly, Maharashtra Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil informed that, out of approximately 51,560 projects currently underway under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, about 27,823 projects have been completed and the remaining works are in progress.

“According to the implementing agencies, as of the end of May 2026, bills amounting to approximately Rs 5,183 crore submitted by contractors are pending at the district level due to a lack of funds,” the reply stated.

The minister further added in the written reply that, noting that water is a state subject, the Central government has directed the state government to arrange advance state-share funding until the Central share is received.

“Accordingly, the state government has made total funds of approximately Rs 4,831.87 crore available to the implementing agencies as a special grant, comprising approximately Rs 2,483.58 crore for the financial year 2024-25 and approximately Rs 2,348.29 crore for 2025-26, which has helped in maintaining the progress of the projects.”

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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