18.73% rural households still without tap water
Contractor-wise pending payments and irregularities are maintained at UT level, JJM deadline extended to Dec 2028
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir was allocated ₹18,514.25 crore under the first phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), but the Union Territory drew only ₹6,496.48 crore from the sanctioned allocation, the Centre informed Parliament on Monday.
Replying to an unstarred question by Rajya Sabha MP Shri Gulam Ali, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Shri V. Somanna said the Union Government has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission up to December 2028 to cover the remaining rural households with functional tap-water connections.
The Centre said that under JJM 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2026, Jammu and Kashmir has been allocated ₹905.74 crore for the financial year 2026-27, of which a mother sanction of ₹116.06 crore has already been issued to the UT.
According to the Ministry, JJM has been implemented since August 2019 under the Har Ghar Jal programme to provide tap-water supply to every rural household.
At the launch of the mission in August 2019, only 5.76 lakh, or 29.9 per cent, of rural households in Jammu and Kashmir were reported to have tap-water connections. Since then, around 9.88 lakh additional rural households have been provided connections.
As of July 18, 2026, Jammu and Kashmir had 19.24 lakh rural households, of which more than 15.64 lakh, or 81.27 per cent, were reported to have tap-water supply at home. This leaves nearly 3.60 lakh rural households yet to receive tap-water connections. The Centre said the extension of JJM till December 2028 is aimed at ensuring coverage of the remaining households, including those in Jammu and Kashmir.
Contractor payments remain with UT Govt: On pending payments to contractors, the Ministry said it does not maintain project-wise details of arrears, as drinking water is a State subject. “The responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes lies with State/UT Governments,” the reply stated. The Centre said it provides technical and financial assistance to States and UTs, while project-wise information, including arrears pending to individual contractors, is maintained by the respective State/UT Government.The reply did not provide contractor-wise figures, reasons for individual payment delays or specific timelines for clearing outstanding dues.
Irregularities to be dealt with at UT level: On complaints of irregularities, including sub-standard work and financial discrepancies under JJM, the Ministry said such grievances are handled and disposed of at the State/UT level. However, the Centre said it has strengthened field-level monitoring through monthly inspections. Under the mechanism, States and UTs carry out inspections of four schemes every month, assigned by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS). These inspections examine the quality of construction, adherence to project timelines, functionality of schemes and resolution of issues. The inspection reports are uploaded on the JJM-IMIS portal, the Ministry said.
No Atal Bhujal Yojana in J&K: The Centre also clarified that the Atal Bhujal Yojana, a pilot scheme aimed at improving groundwater management, was not implemented in Jammu and Kashmir. Similarly, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain does not have a separate budget allocation, as it is a nationwide water-conservation campaign implemented through convergence of funds from various Central, State and local schemes.
₹277.76 Cr released for Shahpur Kandi project : Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana–Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (PMKSY-AIBP), three irrigation projects in Jammu and Kashmir have been completed, benefiting Pulwama, Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts. The Centre said no Central assistance was released for these three projects during the last five years. However, the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project, a National Project benefiting Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, is being funded under PMKSY-AIBP. Central assistance of ₹277.76 crore has been released for the project during the last five years. The Ministry also reiterated that water is a State subject and that water-resource management is planned and implemented by States, with the Centre providing supplementary support.
Focus On Water-Scarce Areas: Under JJM, provisions have been made for bulk water transfer over long distances and regional water-supply schemes to provide tap water in drought-prone and water-scarce areas, including areas with inadequate rainfall or unreliable groundwater sources. The mission also provides for source sustainability measures such as dedicated borewell recharge structures, rainwater recharge and rejuvenation of existing water bodies. These measures can be taken up through convergence with schemes and funding sources including VB-G RAM G, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), Finance Commission tied grants to Rural Local Bodies/Panchayati Raj Institutions, State schemes and CSR funds. The parliamentary reply, however, did not provide a district-wise breakup of uncovered habitations, pending JJM projects or contractor dues in Jammu and Kashmir, saying such project-level information is maintained by the UT Government. The figures underline the scale of the remaining task: despite adding nearly 9.88 lakh tap-water connections since 2019, around one in every five rural households in Jammu and Kashmir was still without reported tap-water supply as of July 18, 2026, with the Centre now working towards completing the remaining coverage by December 2028.
