Centre’s apathy depriving Rs 25,000 crore to Telangana
Hyderabad: Telangana is the only major State in the country to have achieved cent per cent tap water connection to every household particularly rural households. Further, the Centre even replicated the scheme, renaming it as ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’. But the Modi government also conveniently ignored the recommendations by the Central planning body – NITI Aayog […]
Hyderabad: Telangana is the only major State in the country to have achieved cent per cent tap water connection to every household particularly rural households. Further, the Centre even replicated the scheme, renaming it as ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’. But the Modi government also conveniently ignored the recommendations by the Central planning body – NITI Aayog for a grant of Rs 19,000 crore for the scheme along with another Rs 5,000 crore for Mission Kakatiya.
Telangana launched Mission Bhagiratha programme to provide piped drinking water supply to every household in the State way back in August, 2016. Inspired by the State government’s initiative, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre launched the Jal Jeevan Mission in August, 2019. As on date, the State government has provided tap water connection to more than 54 lakh rural households as well as another 20 lakh urban households in the State at an expenditure of more than Rs 45,000 crore.
While other States are highly dependent on funding from the union government to provide drinking water connection to their population, a major portion of the money required for Mission Bhagiratha came from Telangana State’s own treasury. So far, the Centre has allocated only Rs 2,324.42 crore till 2021-22 budget year which is around six per cent of the total expenditure. Not so surprisingly, the Narendra Modi government allocated a massive Rs 14,647 crore to Uttar Pradesh within three years span between 2019-2022, providing tap water supply to a mere 9.45 per cent households (i.e. 23 lakh households) of total 78 lakh households.
Mission Kakatiya too was taken up as a flagship programme of the State government aimed at restoring around 46,000 tanks in five years to provide irrigation source to about 25 lakh acres spending Rs 22,000 crore. As part of the Mission, activities like desiltation , repairing damaged sluices and weirs, restoring dilapidated tank bunds, stone revetments and plugging seepages are carried out.
The State government successfully implemented the scheme and brought to life more than 40,000 tanks which in turn increased the ground water levels considerably. The State’s average ground water levels were at 9.05 metre below ground level (mbgl) in December 2017 to 5.67 mbgl in December 2021 i.e. an increase of 3.38 mbgl in ground water table.
On numerous occasions, several dignitaries including Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, union Panchayat Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, and the Chief Ministers of several States including those ruled by BJP among others, have appreciated the achievements of the Telangana government in implementing both the schemes. NITI Aayog former vice-chairman Arvind Panagaria, Central Water Commission chairman Masood Hussain, and several others too lauded these schemes.
Telangana won several awards and appreciations at national and international level for unprecedented achievements made through Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya. However, the Centre has only restricted itself to appreciations, but chose not to give any monetary rewards for these achievements. Instead, the BJP leaders are making all efforts to take credit for implementing the Mission Bhagiratha by providing just Rs 2,324.42 crore at the fag end of the scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission.
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