Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Friday, 24 July declared that the state government's zero-tolerance policy against examination malpractices has kept paper leak incidents at zero for the past two-and-a-half years, restoring confidence among lakhs of competitive examination aspirants. Speaking at the Rajasthan Water Conclave in Jaipur, Sharma also highlighted that his government has generated over 6.28 lakh jobs — 1.78 lakh in the government sector and nearly 4.5 lakh in the private sector.

Zero Paper Leaks: The Recruitment Turnaround

Rajasthan had been dogged by a string of high-profile examination paper leak scandals before the current government took office. Sharma credited a firm institutional response for the reversal. “The government’s zero-tolerance approach has ensured that not a single paper leak incident has taken place in the last two-and-a-half years. This has restored the trust of young people preparing for competitive examinations,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that the state remains committed to transparent recruitment and timely filling of vacancies so that deserving candidates receive equal opportunities. Notably, this claim comes ahead of several large-scale state recruitment drives expected in the coming months.

Employment Record: Government and Private Sector

1.78 lakh youths have been given government jobs under the current administration, while nearly 4.5 lakh people have secured private-sector employment through various state-backed initiatives. Sharma asserted that employment generation and transparent recruitment remain among the government’s top priorities, framing the figures as evidence of a governance turnaround since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in Rajasthan.

Water Security: Flagship Projects and Key Targets

The conclave also served as a platform for Sharma to outline Rajasthan’s water security roadmap. He said the Ramjal Setu Link Project would secure drinking water across 17 districts and provide irrigation to nearly 4.84 lakh hectares of agricultural land.

Under the Yamuna Water Agreement, 1,917 cusecs of Yamuna water will be routed to the Shekhawati region via a 295-km pipeline, benefiting approximately 75 lakh people across Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and Churu districts. Work is also progressing on the Dewas III and Dewas IV projects — costing a combined ₹1,691 crore — to address Udaipur’s drinking water requirements.

The Parwan Multipurpose Irrigation Project, on which the state has already spent ₹1,164 crore, is described as a lifeline for Kota, Baran, and Jhalawar districts. Additional plans include bringing Narmada water to Raniwara and Bhinmal, and linking the Brahmani River to Bisalpur.

Urban Infrastructure and Rural Connectivity

Projects worth ₹5,100 crore have been approved under AMRUT 2.0 to strengthen drinking water infrastructure across 178 urban local bodies, with work orders already issued for 109 of them. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, tap water connections have been extended to over 15 lakh rural households, while works worth ₹485 crore have been completed under the Atal Bhujal Yojana.

Farmers in 26 districts are currently receiving daytime electricity supply, and Sharma said this facility would be extended statewide by 2027. A Chief Minister’s Irrigation Task Force has been constituted to accelerate pending irrigation projects, and farmers are being given real-time water availability data through the Kisan Saathi mobile application.

National Model Ambition

Sharma positioned Rajasthan as an emerging national model for water conservation, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader programmes — including Catch the Rain, Namami Gange, Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Amrit Sarovar, Har Khet Ko Pani, and Per Drop More Crop — as the national framework underpinning the state’s efforts. He stressed that future generations would judge the present by its commitment to water conservation, and called for greater community participation and technology-driven water management.

With multiple large infrastructure projects underway and recruitment reforms showing early results, the coming months will test whether Rajasthan’s twin pledges on jobs and water security translate into measurable outcomes on the ground.