Stating that the BJP had betrayed Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V. Somanna was peddling lies to cover up the Union Government’s deliberate sabotage of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Karnataka.
Providing figures, the Chief Minister said as against the Centre’s share of ₹26,119 crore out of the total allocation of ₹49,262 crore in the JJM, the Centre’s contribution so far has been ₹11,760 crore or about 45%. Of the total fund of ₹32,202 crore released for the JJM so far, the State’s contribution has been ₹20,442 crore or about 88.3% of the total allocation. Karnataka’s total commitment to the JJM is ₹23,119 crore, he said on social media platform X in response to a statement of Mr. Somanna on the utilisation of funds for the mission.
He said every rupee released by the Centre had been fully utilised by Karnataka, but the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to block funds and deny the State its rightful share. He said the Centre’s neglect continued in 2024–2025 as it released ₹570 crore as against the allocation of ₹3,804 crore. “Despite writing multiple letters, no further funds have been released. Karnataka, on the other hand, has released ₹4,977 crore from its own Budget as against an allocation of ₹8,652 crore,” he added.
Stating that it was not just Karnataka, but the BJP’s failure nationally, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that though the Budget estimates for the JJM for 2024-2025 was ₹70,163 crore, the revised estimates slashed the allocation to ₹22,694 crore. “The Modi government is systematically killing the JJM while BJP leaders like Mr. Somanna shamelessly spread misinformation. Instead of misleading people, Mr. Somanna should question Mr. Modi as to why Karnataka is being deprived of funds due to it.” The Congress government in Karnataka is delivering results despite the BJP’s sabotage. We are committed to ensuring safe drinking water for every household while the BJP-led Centre continues its stepmotherly treatment for our State.”
Priyank Kharge refutes charges
RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge too strongly refuted the allegations regarding the poor utilisation of the JJM funds in the State. “Karnataka has diligently utilised all funds released by the Centre and has even allocated additional State resources to ensure smooth implementation of the mission. Any claims suggesting a failure in fund utilisation are misleading and not based on facts,” Mr. Kharge said in a release.
“As of February 10, 2025, the Centre has disbursed ₹11,760 crore, of which 99.95% has already been utilised by the Karnataka government. The ₹28,623.89 crore cited by the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti refers to an indicative allocation for the entire project period from 2019-20 to 2024-25 and not the actual amount released. Therefore, the claim that Karnataka has failed to utilise the JJM funds is grossly misleading,” Mr. Kharge said.
Published - February 15, 2025 09:24 pm IST
