4,675 villages in Karnataka have got drinking water under Jal Jeevan Mission

The State is providing drinking water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in 4,675 villages out of 26,592 villages where works have been initiated.

According to data provided by Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge to the Legislative Council, based on a question from BJP member C.T. Ravi, of the about ₹65,000 crore earmarked for the project in Karnataka, ₹32,377 crore had been released and ₹28,896 crore has been spent so far.

The Minister acknowledged that there has been a delay in the completion of JJM works in the State due to drought and heavy rainfall in the previous year. When the member pointed at poor-quality work, lack of a source of water, and other issues, Mr. Kharge said a sample size of 1,550 villages where the work had been evaluated by a third-party agency had also thrown up reports of poor-quality work, which is now being rectified. He, however, said the Centre does not allow the initiation of work without the identification of a water source.