Maharashtra Sanctions ₹17,958 Crore to Complete Pending Jal Jeevan Mission Projects
The Maharashtra state government in Mumbai has sanctioned ₹17,958 crore for the current financial year to complete pending rural water supply schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Announced on Friday, the funding aims to resolve a severe resource crunch that has stalled half of the state's 51,560 rural water supply projects since 2025.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, which was originally launched by the central government in August 2019, aims to provide tap water to all rural households in Maharashtra. However, funding shortages over the past year halted thousands of projects and led to mounting unpaid arrears for contractors working on the schemes.
To address the crisis, the state government on Friday sanctioned a broader ₹74,548-crore master plan. Of this total, ₹36,998 crore has already been spent. The remaining ₹37,549 crore will be funded through a combination of the central government’s share, the state’s regular share, and additional state funding. The state government has also committed to temporarily covering the central government's share if there are delays in central fund releases.
According to a government resolution issued by the state water supply and sanitation department, the Union government has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission timeline to December 2028. Consequently, the state government has mandated that all projects that are currently more than 75% complete must be finished by December 2028.
In contrast, single-village or multi-village schemes with 25% or less progress will be placed on hold, pending a project-wise reassessment. The state has also directed that investigations and subsequent actions be initiated against project management consultants if completed projects fail to supply water.
The funding resolution follows a visit to Delhi in May by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who sought to resolve the financial bottleneck with central authorities. This meeting led to the formulation of the master plan, which prioritizes sustainable water sources and infrastructure improvements.
Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Contractors’ Association, welcomed the release of the funds. Bhosale stated that the association had pursued the issue for more than two years and emphasized that the government must now clear the outstanding bills of contractors in a timely manner.
