SRINAGAR: Minister for Jal Shakti, Forest, Ecology, Environment and Tribal Affairs, Javed Ahmed Rana, informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that liabilities of over Rs 1,500 crore have accrued under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Jammu and Kashmir, even as more than 1,000 non-gazetted posts in the Jal Shakti Department have been referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board for recruitment. The House later passed grants worth Rs 6,779.59 crore for the departments under his charge through a voice vote after a day-long debate.
Replying to the discussion on Demands for Grants, the Minister said that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Union Government had allocated Rs 13,343 crore to Jammu and Kashmir to provide drinking water to every household. He said that 70 to 80 percent works under the scheme have already been executed and 15.64 lakh households have been provided Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs).
He disclosed that the liability under JJM had crossed Rs 1,500 crore. “When the Omar Government took over, the liability was around Rs 400 crore. As several works are still under execution, we have taken up the matter with the concerned Union Minister and the scheme has now been extended till December 2028,” he said, adding that pending liabilities would be cleared upon release of funds.
For 2026–27, a Capex Budget of Rs 1,561.9 crore has been proposed for the Public Health Engineering sector, marking a 10.4 per cent increase over the revised estimate of Rs 1,399.5 crore. During the last year, 69 projects costing Rs 302 crore were commissioned, benefiting nearly 29,000 households.
Under NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), 57 drinking water schemes costing Rs 740.49 crore are under execution, with seven completed and the remaining targeted for completion in 2026–27. Under UT Capex, 1,136 drinking water works are in progress, of which 419 have been completed, while 550 are slated for completion in the coming financial year.
The Minister informed the House that two major water supply projects are underway to ensure an uninterrupted supply to AIIMS Awantipora and AIIMS Vijaypur. The Rs 54 crore scheme for AIIMS Awantipora is being executed in two phases, with Phase-I completed and Phase-II scheduled for 2026–27, while the Vijaypur project has achieved 95 percent physical progress.
On flood restoration and infrastructure, he said that 42 projects worth Rs 163 crore have been approved under SASCI, with Rs 155.38 crore released and Rs 47 crore spent so far. Flood damage works worth Rs 430 crore for 2025 have also been identified for restoration. He added that a State Specific Action Plan on water security prepared under the National Water Mission is in the final stage of approval.
Strengthening human resource management in the Jal Shakti Department, the Minister said all vacant Chief Engineer posts are being filled, and Superintending Engineer posts were fully staffed in April 2025. Two Departmental Promotion Committees have promoted 47 Junior Engineers, while 62 compassionate appointments were issued in the past three years. Over 1,000 non-gazetted posts have been forwarded to JKSSB for recruitment.
In the Irrigation and Flood Control sector, a Capex outlay of Rs 996 crore has been proposed for 2026–27, reflecting a 62 per cent increase over the revised allocation of Rs 612 crore last year. Under the ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’ programme, 143 irrigation schemes are under progress, with 50 targeted for completion next year, creating irrigation potential for nearly 13,000 hectares.
The Minister said that the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project is in its final stage and is expected to provide irrigation benefits to over 32,000 hectares in Kathua and Samba districts. The Tawi Barrage Project in Jammu, costing Rs 64 crore, has achieved about 90 percent physical progress.
Under the Comprehensive Flood Management Project of River Jhelum, flood-carrying capacity between Sangam and Padshahibagh in Srinagar has been enhanced from 31,800 cusecs to 41,000 cusecs. Additionally, 31 bank protection works worth Rs 276.61 crore are under execution under PMDP Phase-II (Part A), with 17 already completed. Two regulatory gates at Hokersar wetland have also been completed for Rs 28.45 crore.
Highlighting the Forest, Ecology and Environment sector, the Minister said forests cover nearly half of Jammu and Kashmir’s geographical area. For 2026–27, an allocation of Rs 242 crore has been proposed. Under UT Capex 2025–26, Rs 168.18 crore were approved, Rs 141.14 crore released and works worth Rs 56.97 crore executed. Against Rs 175.06 crore approved under CAMPA, Rs 155.14 crore have been released.
Under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, 71.77 lakh saplings have been planted till January 2026, with a target of one crore to be achieved, and another one crore planned in 2026–27. The Minister said 1.85 lakh forest boundary pillars have been installed and forest boundaries digitised using CORS-enabled GNSS technology.
He informed that 260 wetlands have been mapped using GIS and remote sensing, and that revival of Wular Lake has involved dredging of 5 sq km and afforestation of 2,952 hectares, benefiting over 5,200 fishermen. Wildlife conservation measures now cover 11.5 percent of the UT’s area, with over 3,002 animals rescued and compensation exceeding Rs 214 crore disbursed for human-wildlife conflict.
On Tribal Affairs, the Minister said the government has prioritised inclusive development of Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis, Sippis, Pahari Ethnic Group, Paddaris and other indigenous communities. For 2026–27, focus areas include education, livelihoods, infrastructure and migration support, and cultural preservation.
Under scholarship schemes, Rs 8.75 crore were disbursed to 4,552 Scheduled Tribe students under Post-Matric Scholarships, Rs 41 lakh to 1,328 students under Pre-Matric (Classes IX and X), and Rs 10.20 crore released through DBT to 1.95 lakh students from Classes I to VIII. Twenty-eight Scheduled Tribe hostels are operational, 26 under construction and 10 nearing completion, while six Eklavya Model Residential Schools are functional and six more proposed.
For 2026–27, Rs 60 crore have been proposed for 1,000 small infrastructure works including roads, bridges, drinking water and power supply schemes. Seven transit accommodation units for migratory tribes are under construction, two of which have been completed.
Concluding the debate, the Minister thanked members for their suggestions, stating that the allocations reflect the government’s commitment to water security, ecological sustainability and socio-economic empowerment.
The House passed grants of Rs 3,241.77 crore for Public Health Engineering, Rs 1,524.82 crore for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Rs 1,606.99 crore for Irrigation and Flood Control, and Rs 406.01 crore for Tribal Affairs through a voice vote after MLAs withdrew their cut motions.
