Nagaland Transparency, Public Rights Advocacy & Direct Action Organization (NTPRADAO) has appealed to chief minister Neiphiu Rio to institute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and simultaneously present a white paper to uncover the facts surrounding the \u201cRs. 1712.03 crores financial embezzlement and misappropriation\u201d linked to the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Nagaland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NTPRADAO has given the state government a 30-day ultimatum to address these concerns, failing which the organization said it would be forced to initiate a mass public protest and agitation till the PHE minister tenders his resignation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It pointed out that Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019, aims to provide tap water connections to every rural household by 2024. However, NTPRADAO said that during its investigation, it came across severe lapses in the project\u2019s implementation in villages covered by JMM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the course of investigation, NTPRADAO said they came across water tanks found to be of poor quality, failing to meet central engineering specifications. Despite official claims of 92.23% coverage, it said that many villages have no Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC), including areas close to political figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also pointed out about reports of misappropriated funds, including old tanks and pipelines being passed off as new. In some villages, they said that funds were allegedly siphoned off through collusion between WATSAN Committees and PHED officials. It also pointed out that, in most villages and households, potable piped water was nonexistent, leaving rural areas without access to clean water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secondly, in villages where pipes have been installed, the layout was scattered and inconsistent with the JJM guidelines, which require tap connections in every kitchen and bathroom\/toilet area, it added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further, NTPRADAO said that the use of inferior quality iron and materials for constructing water storage tanks has led to non-compliance with JJM engineering standards, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NTPRADAO also raised serious concerns regarding discrepancies between official reports and ground realities in Nagaland\u2019s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing Har Ghar Jal report, NTPRADAO said districts like Kiphire claimed 100% tap water supply to households, with 14,991 households covered across 109 villages. Similarly, Wokha district reported to have connected 22,754 households (91.33%) out of 24,913. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, NTPRADAO asserted that these figures do not reflect the actual situation, pointing out that in many villages, Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) were still missing, despite the official claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alleging the involvement of former PHED officials, and others, in corruption, the organization has not only appealed to the chief minister to form an SIT by also recommend for a CBI and ED probe into their actions. The organization alleged that these officials were responsible for certifying the official documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, it said that according to Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, the total funds allocated for the Jal Jeevan Mission in Nagaland from the central share were– FY 2019-20: Rs. 56.49 crores, FY 2020-21: Rs. 114.09 crores, FY 2021-22: Rs. 444.81 crores, FY 2022-23: Rs. 484.28 crores, FY 2023-24: Rs. 366.86 crores and FY 2024-25 (up to October 2024): Rs. 39.75 crores. The total central allocation till date amounts to Rs. 1,506.28 crores, it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, NTPRADAO said that Nagaland received Rs. 125 crores as part of the 15th Finance Commission Grants for PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) in 2020-21, with 50% of this amount Rs. 62.05 crores) earmarked for water supply and sanitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state\u2019s 10% share over these years totals to Rs. 143.07 crores, bringing the grand total of funds released for JJM in Nagaland to a staggering Rs. 1,712.03 crores, it said.
Despite the substantial financial allocation, concerns about fund mismanagement, lack of proper implementation, and discrepancies in reported progress have been raised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NTPRADAO highlighted that JJM funds are allocated for key components such as the development of in-village piped water infrastructure, ensuring every rural household gets a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC), and the retrofitting of existing water schemes. Additionally, funds are earmarked for the development of reliable drinking water sources and for various support activities, including training, water quality testing, and capacity building in local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to NTPRADAO, a significant 70% of the total funds allocated for piping infrastructure under the mission was likely misappropriated, which would amount to an estimated Rs.1,198 crores. The organization claimed that this portion of the funds may have been allegedly embezzled by former and current government officials who were responsible for overseeing the projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, the remaining 30% of funds\u2014allocated for essential civil works such as water treatment plants, storage tanks, and distribution systems\u2014was also reportedly mismanaged. Despite the large financial allocation, NTPRADAO asserted that many of the promised tap water connections remain absent in several villages across Nagaland, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the program in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this regard, NTPRADAO appealed to all right-thinking citizens, CSOs, intellectuals, and concerned individuals to join the mass protest and voice their opposition until the PHE minister is forced to resign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nagaland Transparency, Public Rights Advocacy & Direct Action Organization (NTPRADAO) has appealed to chief minister Neiphiu Rio to institute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and simultaneously present a white paper to uncover the facts surrounding the \u201cRs. 1712.03 crores financial embezzlement and misappropriation\u201d linked to the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Nagaland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":409111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[679],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-451429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nagaland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}