The Union Government has dismissed a claim made by the Telangana government that the state's flagship programme ‘Mission Bhagiratha’ has won a national award for supplying water to households in state. The Union Government’s Ministry of Water Resources, in a statement on Saturday, October 1, said that the news was “misleading as the same is not based on the facts and information by the State Government”.

In response to this, the Union Jal Sakthi Ministry released a statement dismissing the claim. “The ministers, at a press conference on Friday, claimed that the announcement of National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) award to the Telangana government was an endorsement to the successful implementation of Mission Bhagiratha scheme in the state,” the statement read. The scheme has however been selected for an award on October 2 only in the Rural Household Water Supply category.

The statement also said that the Jal Sakthi ministry had not carried out any assessment of Mission Bhagiratha scheme and that the Telangana government was supplying less quantity of drinking water to each household.

“Misleading items have been reported in the published news include statement such as (i) the center through NJJM (National Jal Jeevan Mission) reviewed Mission Bhagiratha scheme; (ii) Each household getting 100 litres per capita quality drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha; (iii) Inspection was conducted in 320 randomly selected villages across Telangana; (iv)  all villages were provided uninterrupted, daily quality drinking water through taps,” the statement said and added that no assessment of ‘Mission Bhagiratha’ scheme was carried out by the Department.

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