Kohima: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India uncovered massive failures in Nagaland’s Jal Jeevan Mission. The audit, covering 2019 to 2024, examined projects in Longleng, Dimapur, Wokha, and Kiphire. Officials spent Rs 1,376.33 crore of the Rs 1,416.08 crore received. Results show the money failed to provide consistent water to rural households.
Planning flaws plague the mission. Project Implementation Units ignored baseline surveys and inflated population data by over 50 percent compared to the 2011 Census. Records for household connections varied wildly between different official reports. The state awarded Rs 888.10 crore in supply contracts without competitive bidding. This bypass caused an avoidable expenditure of Rs 288.12 crore for the supplier.
The audit flagged severe discrepancies in material movement. Officials claimed they issued 5.14 lakh metres of GMS pipes from the Dimapur central store. Physical checks found the materials still in the warehouse. Records even listed transport vehicles that did not exist or lacked the capacity to carry the logged supplies.
Connection data remains unreliable. While reports claimed 14,102 functional household tap connections, physical verification confirmed only 8,251. The report noted, "expenditure of Rs 21.57 crore on 5,851 purported FHTCs was fictitious, as the services had not been provided." Many households currently share a single line, and some reported receiving only four buckets of water daily.
Projects worth millions vanish on paper. Investigators found Rs 2.53 crore in contracted work remained unbuilt despite full payment. Further, water quality monitoring efforts are nearly nonexistent. Labs show a massive equipment shortfall, and only 19.92 percent of required field tests occurred. The CAG now demands e-tendering, independent evaluations, and mandatory site audits to stop the hemorrhaging of funds.
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