Groundwater Initiative Falls Short, Only Rs 71 Crore Spent from Rs 1,778 Crore in FY25
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New Delhi, Dec 5 (NationPress) In an era where the rural tap water supply initiative has seen rapid expansion, a Central government-sponsored program designed to combat the decrease in groundwater levels has struggled significantly to make use of its allocated Rs 1,778 crore for the financial year 2024-25, as disclosed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana, a Central Sector Scheme targeting areas experiencing water stress in 8,203 Gram Panchayats across 229 blocks in 80 districts of seven states, has only managed to spend Rs 71.24 crore out of the entire Rs 1,778 crore by November 25 this fiscal year, according to new statistics released by the Jal Shakti Ministry.
In response to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, pointed out that the scheme, currently operational in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, has only utilized just over 4 percent of its yearly budget in the first eight months of the financial year.
Providing statistics in response to a question posed by BJP MP Haribhai Patel, the MoS revealed that the scheme spent Rs 1,738.21 crore of Rs 1,774.57 crore in 2023-24; Rs 637.64 crore out of Rs 700 crore in 2022-23; Rs 327.48 crore of Rs 330 crore in 2021-22; and Rs 123.03 crore out of Rs 125 crore in 2020-21.
However, as of now in 2024-25, the Atal Bhujal Yojana has only managed to utilize a minimal Rs 71.24 crore from its Rs 1,778 crore allocation.
In contrast, the rural tap water supply initiative has excelled, reaching nearly 80 percent of rural households.
The MoS noted that the Central government, in collaboration with states, has been executing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since August 2019 to enhance water supply in rural regions.
“At the launch of the Mission, only 3.23 crore (17 percent) rural households had access to tap water. Since the Mission's inception, more than 12.09 crore connections have been established as of December 3, 2024. Consequently, out of 19.34 crore rural households, approximately 15.33 crore (79.24 percent) are currently receiving tap water,” he stated.
Emphasizing the progress in urban water supply, the MoS mentioned that in 2015 the Centre initiated the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which aims to enhance basic urban infrastructure, particularly water supply and ensuring access to tap connections for every household in 500 cities.
“To date, 1,390 projects valued at Rs 43,241.8 crore have been initiated, including 1,180 completed projects worth Rs 29,310 crore. Through these initiatives and in conjunction with other programs, 1.89 crore household water tap connections have been established,” he elaborated.
Progressing further, AMRUT 2.0 was inaugurated in 2021, encompassing all statutory towns in the country to guarantee universal water supply and ensure cities are 'water secure'.
“For the assurance of quality water supply, to date 3,596 projects worth Rs 1,14,073.65 crore have been sanctioned by the Apex Committee at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,” Choudhary noted.
