Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said that the Centre will not be able to offer assistance to states for PM-initiated national mission projects, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission, if the states try to execute the same by changing the scheme’s name.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Wednesday, during a regional conference of states and Union territories on Jal Jeevan Mission & Swachh Bharat Mission, Shekhawat said some states at their levels have tried to change the name of the central scheme. The minister said that there are clear instructions to the officials that if any state government attempts to enforce the mission of PM-initiated scheme, then the Centre will not be in a position to support the state.
BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who’s also the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, had tweeted a day earlier and stated that he met the minister and “discussed WB Govt’s unethical tactics to plagiarise” PM Modi’s “dream project; Jal Jeevan Mission by passing it off as Jal Swapna”. “He assured me that if WB Govt doesn’t change back the project’s name to its original version; i.e. Jal Jeevan Mission, then his dept will take strictest of action. I also apprised him that the WB Govt mentioned the counterfeit name in Governor’s speech (for yesterday) as well,” Suvendu added in his tweet.
When asked about this concern, Shekhawat said that on the basis of information he received from Suvendu and Governor’s speech, he has raised the concern that an attempt has been made to change scheme’s name, and this will not be acceptable to the Centre.
He said that despite the Centre’s financial assistance, states have not been able to achieve strong progress, and after assessing the situation with state representatives the need to speed up the process has been emphasised.
On being asked on what he considers the reason - political or bureaucratic - for a section of people to be still exposed to “quality-compromised water” in West Bengal, the minister said that it’s beyond his thinking that any state government will do politics over drinking water. “Forcing its own state’s people to drink toxic water reflects the state government’s lack of commitment towards its people. Otherwise, it can’t happen that despite availability of funds and technology, people are compelled to drink toxic water,” the minister said.
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