ED conducts multi-city raids over ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ irregularities

On Friday, the official sources said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted multi-city searches in Rajasthan as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Centre’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in the Gehlot-ruled state. According to the sources, several premises belonging to engineers, contractors and some former state government officials in Alwar, Jaipur and a few other cities are being searched thoroughly. These searches are being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
A few documents and gadgets have been recovered till now, as per the sources.
The money laundering case is understood to have stemmed from a Rajasthan Police FIR.
In June, the Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena had alleged a scam of Rs 20,000 crore in the implementation of the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in Rajasthan.
He claimed that tenders worth Rs 900 crore were issued to two firms in 48 projects of the scheme based on fake experience certificates.
Meena said, “A scam of Rs 20,000 crore was committed under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission…This was done together by the PHED minister and the department secretary.”
The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and is being implemented by the state Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).