Nil connection under Jal Jeevan in Vellore; MoS slams officials

VELLORE: Not a single house in Vellore district was given proper water connection under the Jal Jeevan Mission, charged Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment A Narayanaswamy here on Thursday.

The Minister’s comment came barely days after Tamil Nadu was awarded the top rank under the scheme, which aims to provide adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024. Incidentally, Vellore is the home district of State Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan.

According to the Union minister, this was not the only central scheme that was being implemented tardily. Highlighting two more cases, he said only 3,900 houses were built in the district under the PM Awas Yojana as against the target of 36,000 units, while only six villages availed the Adarsh Village Scheme which should have been 35.

In Vellore to review the implementation of central schemes, MoS Narayanaswamy was also irked that none of the district officials was able to submit details of central fund expenditure or the progress made. This despite intimating the Collector about the review meeting a month ago and seeking these details, he told the media after chairing the meeting.

During the meeting, the district-level officials submitted only details of rural development and funds allotted to government hostels, the minister said, charging that the officials were unable to give details of expenditure incurred under various schemes initiated by the Union government. For instance, specific information about the schemes related to health, education, rural development, and one nation, one ration card scheme were not presented, Narayanaswamy said.

Making clear his displeasure over the failure to submit the information he had sought in advance, the minister told officials that account should be submitted for each paisa allotted by the Centre at the meeting proposed for the next month.