BENGALURU: The State government on Friday escalated its ongoing financial tussle with the Union government, accusing New Delhi of starving the State of crucial funds for the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and pushing rural drinking water projects to the brink of collapse.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said the Centre’s delay in releasing funds has deprived the State’s JJM budget of Rs 13,000 crore, even as the state has delivered tap-water access to 86% of rural households – far above the national average.
In posts on X and a detailed letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Priyank said the Centre has released only Rs 11,786 crore against Karnataka’s approved project cost of Rs 69,487 crore, forcing the state to bankroll progress with its own already-strained resources.
Karnataka has so far spent Rs 24,598 crore from its own budget to keep pipelines, worksites and supply chains running. For the current financial year alone, the Centre had allocated Rs 3,804 crore, but only Rs 570 crore has reached the state – a shortfall Kharge says has pushed Karnataka into an emergency situation. The State has now front-loaded an additional Rs 1,500 crore to prevent immediate disruptions, he said.
Nearly Rs 1,700 crore bills of contractors are pending, while another Rs 2,600 crore projects are midway. Contractors have begun demobilising staff, slowing execution and freezing procurement – a move that could jeopardise water supply to the remaining 14% of uncovered rural households, Priyank said.