Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday alleged that a “huge” corruption had taken place in Tamil Nadu’s Jal Jeevan Mission, the scheme aimed at providing piped drinking water to households. He said an inquiry is under way to determine whether ministers and the Chief Minister have any connection to the alleged irregularities.
Goyal made the remarks in Chennai after attending the BJP’s foundation day event at Kamalalayam, where he participated in hoisting the party flag. He also claimed that several Union government schemes were not being implemented effectively in the state.
Referring to housing assistance, he said the Centre had allocated funds to build nine lakh houses for the poor in Tamil Nadu, but houses had not yet been allotted to three lakh beneficiaries. He argued that timely allotment would have benefited around 13 lakh people with basic amenities such as clean drinking water, toilets and electricity.
The minister further said Tamil Nadu’s tax devolution over the last 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was double what it received during the earlier DMK-Congress alliance rule, and questioned where the funds had gone. He also alleged irregularities in contract awards under the Jal Jeevan project and said the ongoing probe is examining accountability for alleged corruption over the past five years.
