Shillong, August 4: Meghalaya’s push to get clean drinking water to every household got a significant boost this week, with the state securing a sanction of ₹336.62 crore for 2026-27 under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.
PHE Minister Marcuise N Marak made the announcement on Tuesday, fresh off a meeting with Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil in New Delhi.
Marak travelled to the capital to call on Patil personally, and didn’t hold back on the gratitude. “Called on Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri CR Patil Ji, and conveyed my sincere gratitude for the sanction approval of ₹336.62 crore for the financial year 2026–27 under JJM 2.0,” he said, marking what’s likely to be one of the more consequential funding approvals for the state’s public health engineering sector this year.
The sanction isn’t just about pushing the mission forward — a meaningful chunk of it is earmarked for cleaning up a problem that’s been dogging the programme for a while: unpaid contractors. Marak was direct about the priorities.
“The approval will support the implementation of JJM 2.0 in Meghalaya and facilitate the clearance of at least one-third of the pending bills of JJM contractors,” he said, adding that further instalments would follow “to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the mission.”
That’s welcome news for contractors who’ve been carrying out the on-ground work of laying pipelines and building water infrastructure across the state, often while waiting on payments. Clearing even a third of the backlog could help restore momentum to projects that have been slowed by cash-flow troubles.
Beyond the money, Marak said the Union Ministry had specific praise for how Meghalaya has approached the mission’s sustainability requirements. “The State’s reform-linked sustainability initiatives under JJM and its continued efforts towards ensuring safe and clean drinking water were also appreciated,” he noted — a sign that the state’s execution, not just its funding ask, is being taken seriously in Delhi.
Marak used the meeting to flag one project in particular: the Resubelpara Water Supply Scheme, which he’s pushing for additional central backing. “I also sought the Union Minister’s valued support for the Resubelpara Water Supply Scheme, which will play an important role in ensuring a reliable, safe, and sustainable water supply for the people of Resubelpara,” he concluded.
