The Revised Estimates for FY 2025-26 have slashed the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) budget by nearly 75%, from the originally budgeted ₹67,000 crore to just ₹17,000 crore. This steep cut has alarmed water sector experts, rural development officials, and states that depend on JJM funding to complete last-mile connectivity for rural drinking water.
Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in August 2019 with the target of providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024. Despite the deadline passing, approximately 19% of rural households across India remain without piped drinking water. The cabinet approval for a formal extension of JJM (often called JJM 2.0) is still pending, leaving the programme in a limbo that worsens the 60% budget cut.
Rajasthan is one of the most water-scarce states in India, with large sections of Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and other western districts relying on long-distance pipelines to deliver drinking water. The JJM funding is critical for completing ongoing works, O&M (operation and maintenance) of installed infrastructure, and extending coverage to the remaining unconnected households. A nearly 75% reduction in the FY 2025-26 central allocation can put these projects at risk of delay.
Experts point out that the cut is particularly untimely because the focus has shifted from installation to sustainability. Installed systems need ongoing O&M funding which now faces uncertainty. Civil society groups have demanded that Cabinet approves JJM 2.0 immediately, ensuring continuity of funding for states like Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar that have significant backlogs. The central government has defended the cut as a rationalisation of expenditure given improved coverage numbers, but critics note that completion of the last 19% is precisely the hardest and most expensive phase.