'₹2,288 Cr Jal Jeevan Mission Grant, Zero Spending': Gujarat Faces Questions Over Rural Water Supply, Over 24 Lakh Families Without Tap Connections
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Gujarat has received a ₹2,288 crore grant under the Jal Jeevan Mission for 2025-27, but the state had spent none of the allocated funds as of August 2, 2026.
Over 24 Lakh Families Without Tap Connections
The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide piped drinking water to rural households under the Centre’s ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme.
However, more than 24 lakh families in Gujarat are still without tap-water connections, according to the report. Only around 47,000 households have reportedly been receiving regular and clean drinking water through the scheme.
The report said Gujarat has been slow in utilising funds despite the availability of central grants, while several other states have already started spending their allocations.
Other States Utilising Jal Jeevan Mission Grants
Uttar Pradesh: Spent ₹2,602 crore from its Jal Jeevan Mission grant.
Karnataka: Utilised ₹843 crore.
Rajasthan: Spent ₹451 crore from its allocation of around ₹9,038 crore.
Odisha: Utilised ₹221 crore from a grant of around ₹3,851 crore.
Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh: Have also started using their allocated grants for drinking-water supply projects.
Questions Over Implementation
The report said that despite many villages being declared under the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme on paper, more than 24.24 lakh households still lack tap connections and face water-supply challenges.
It also highlighted concerns over falling groundwater levels and the need for sustained water-management efforts.
With the demand for drinking water continuing to rise, questions are now being raised over Gujarat’s utilisation of the central grant and the pace of providing functional tap-water connections to rural households.
