JAISALMER: Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan, which had remained stalled due to corruption allegations, investigations and shortage of funds, has now been revived. He announced that ₹4,800 crore has been approved and transferred to Rajasthan to restart pending works under the mission.Addressing a night chaupal at Phalsund in Jaisalmer district, Shekhawat said that payments to contractors had remained stuck for a long time due to ongoing investigations, causing projects to halt. “Now there will be no shortage of funds,” he asserted.He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the Jal Jeevan Mission till 2028 and allocated an additional ₹1 lakh crore for the scheme across the country.Among those present during the event were Pokaran MLA Mahant Pratap Puri, former MLA Sang Singh Bhati, District Collector Anupama Jorwal, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shivhare and other officials and public representatives.During the night chaupal held amid the desert dunes of Jaisalmer, Shekhawat adopted a tough stance over water and electricity issues in the region. He strongly criticized corruption in the Jal Jeevan Mission and warned officials and contractors against irregularities.Referring to alleged corruption in water supply schemes, the Union Minister said that those involved in corruption in public drinking water funds would face consequences similar to former minister Mahesh Joshi. “No matter how influential anyone may be, if they have stolen the people’s right to water, they will be punished. I will spare no one,” he declared before the gathering.Shekhawat also instructed Public Health Engineering Department officials to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply during the intense summer heat. He directed them to work in mission mode with a spirit of public service, warning of strict action otherwise.He asked the District Collector to ensure proper monitoring of water tanker operations and directed that drinking water should be made available free of cost to poor people at public tanks. He also stressed issuing and publishing a weekly tanker schedule so villagers and residents of remote hamlets know when water tankers would arrive.The Union Minister instructed the administration to prioritize poor families over influential people in water distribution. He warned that any failure in improving the system would be considered an administrative failure under the district leadership and asked officials to create a foolproof mechanism.On electricity issues, Shekhawat accused the previous government and officials of misleading the Government of India by claiming 100 percent electrification in Rajasthan. He alleged that thousands of homes in Jaisalmer and Barmer still remain without electricity. He assured that under the Prime Minister’s new scheme, every left-out household would receive electricity within 1,000 days.Shekhawat announced that he would stay late into the night to personally receive applications from villagers and ensure redressal of their grievances. He also directed the administration to survey all left-out hamlets and connect them with the Jal Jeevan Mission.Earlier, the Union Minister and Pokaran MLA Mahant Pratap Puri arrived at the night chaupal in an open jeep and were welcomed with flower showers arranged through JCB machines.Later, while addressing the Gram Rath Yatra event in Phalsund, Shekhawat said the government wants welfare schemes and information to directly reach villages and for panchayat-level issues to effectively reach the government.He emphasized that agriculture now requires focus not only on production but also on processing, technology and value addition to increase farmers’ income. In this regard, he announced that a Global Rajasthan Agriculture Meet would be organized within the next two months to discuss integrating agriculture with modern technologies.The Union Minister also said that investment agreements worth nearly ₹35 lakh crore were signed during the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit, and many projects are now being implemented on the ground. Similar large-scale investment and innovation opportunities are also being developed in the agriculture sector, he added.
