Union Jal Sakthi Ministry Rejects Telangana’s Claim Mission Bhagiratha Won Award 

New Delhi: The Union Jal Sakthi Ministry sought to downplay the claims made by Telangana ministers that the state government’s flagship programme “Mission Bhagiratha” was the role model for the entire country. The Union Ministry said both the state minister T Harish Rao and Errabelli Dayakar Rao had made ‘misleading’ claims.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, the ministers claimed that the announcement of the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) award to the Telangana government was an endorsement of the successful implementation of the Mission Bhagiratha scheme in the state.

In response to the tweets from the TRS Working President and the CM’s office claiming the state had won the NJJM award, the Union Jal Sakthi Ministry released a statement dismissing the claim. 

“The ministers, at a press conference on Friday, claimed that the announcement of National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) award to the Telangana government was an endorsement to the successful implementation of Mission Bhagiratha scheme in the state,” the statement said. 

The scheme has however been selected for an award on October 2 only in the Rural Household Water Supply category.

The Union Ministry’s statement further said that there were news reports based on the ministers’ statements making false claims, such as the Centre, through the NJJM, has reviewed the Mission Bhagiratha scheme and that each household is getting 100 litres per capita drinking water under the scheme.

“The reports also quoted the ministers as saying that inspection was conducted in 320 randomly selected villages across Telangana and all villages were provided uninterrupted, daily quality drinking water through taps,” it added.

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The Union Government’s Ministry of Water Resources also clarified that the Jal Sakthi ministry had not carried out any assessment of Mission Bhagiratha scheme and that the Telangana government was supplying less quantity of drinking water to each household.

“Misleading items have been reported in the published news include statement such as (i) the center through NJJM (National Jal Jeevan Mission) reviewed Mission Bhagiratha scheme; (ii) Each household getting 100 litres per capita quality drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha; (iii) Inspection was conducted in 320 randomly selected villages across Telangana; (iv)  all villages were provided uninterrupted, daily quality drinking water through taps,” the statement added. 

Earlier, a release from CMO stated that the “Mission Bhagiratha” Scheme stood as a role model for the entire country by providing purified drinking water to every house through a tap.