SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, today clarified the matter concerning the halt or retention of funds from the Central Government for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Scheme, stating that this incident is not limited to Meghalaya but is happening across the entire country.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma informed that the release of funds for the JJM from the Central Government has been temporarily suspended for all states.
He mentioned that the retention of funds across various states could amount to hundreds of crores of rupees. This is because the JJM is a ‘Mission Mode’ program that was originally slated to conclude in March 2024.
”Therefore, when April came, the JJM automatically ceased its operations, and the Finance Department no longer had the intention to continue providing funds because there was no approval or ‘provision’,” he explained.
Sangma clarified that the termination of the JJM was no longer solely an issue for the Finance Ministry or the Jal Shakti Ministry, but required a decision from the Union Cabinet of the Government of India.
”The Union Government Cabinet has taken a decision in November or December to amend and further extend the JJM to cover ongoing projects. Even after extending the scheme, the Chief Minister informed that the Central Cabinet has attached a condition,” he said.
He added, “The Cabinet has also stipulated a condition that an audit must be conducted for all ongoing schemes across the country, and only after the audit is completed will the Finance Ministry begin releasing the funds again.”
The Chief Minister informed that all these requirements are currently underway and expressed hope that all work will proceed smoothly once the audit, mandated by the Union Cabinet, is completed.
