M.K. Stalin. File
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday (March 13, 2026) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his immediate intervention for the release of pending funds to the State under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and approval for pending projects under JJM 2.0 to ensure drinking water supply to rural habitations.
In his letter, Mr. Stalin said Tamil Nadu has consistently been at the forefront of providing safe and assured drinking water across the State. A copy of his letter was circulated to the media.
The State, he said, had made significant progress under the JJM by providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to 1.12 crore homes (90%) out of its 1.25 crore rural households.
Mr. Stalin welcomed the Union government’s decision to extend and enhance the outlay of the mission. In the first phase of JJM, the State took up 45 new Multi-Village Schemes (MVS), 56 retrofitting Combined Water Supply Schemes (CWSS), and 21,258 Single Village Schemes (SVS) at a total cost of ₹18,123 crore. Of these, all the SVS and 92 of the 101 MVS and retrofitting schemes have been completed, while the remaining nine MVS are in advanced stages of implementation, Mr. Stalin said.
Pending funds
However, only ₹5,914 crore has been released by the Union government as its share under JJM, leaving a pending balance of ₹3,112 crore. Although ₹2,434 crore was allocated for Tamil Nadu during 2024-25, only ₹732 crore has been released and no funds have been received since September 2024, he pointed out.
To sustain the progress of works and ensure timely completion, the Tamil Nadu government has already released an advance of ₹2,550 crore from State resources to meet expenditure for ongoing JJM works, said Mr. Stalin, requesting the Prime Minister’s intervention to release the pending balance of ₹3,112 crore to ensure completion of the schemes.
Hogenekkal scheme
He also drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the Hogenekkal Phase-III Combined Water Supply Scheme, proposed as an externally aided project with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The scheme was approved by the State Level Scheme Sanctioning Committee of the Ministry of Jal Shakti on June 15, 2023, at a total cost of ₹8,428 crore, including a Union government JJM share of ₹2,283 crore.
The State initiated preparatory work based on the assurance of support under JJM. However, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation recently indicated that Central assistance could not be extended at present pending approval for the extension of the mission. Withdrawal of support to this critical project at this stage would significantly affect prospects for adequate drinking water supply in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts, the Chief Minister said.
In view of the recent decision of the Union government to extend the JJM, Mr. Stalin requested that concurrence and financial support be provided for the Hogenekkal Phase-III CWSS to enable the State to proceed with the JICA loan agreement.
New MVS sanction
Further, the State had proposed 10 new MVS at a total cost of ₹7,590 crore, covering districts including Dindigul, Namakkal, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Tiruvallur, Pudukottai, Mayiladuthurai, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Tiruppur, and Erode. Considering their crucial need, he requested that sanction be accorded for these new MVS under JJM 2.0 to achieve full saturation of rural habitations in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Stalin expressed confidence the Union government would extend continued support to ensure sustainable and equitable drinking water supply for the rural population of Tamil Nadu.
Published – March 13, 2026 12:12 pm IST
