Poor response to Jal Mitras appointment worries administration

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The state government has planned to appoint three "Nal Jal Mitras" for the repair and maintenance of water supply schemes in villages. However, due to unclear information about the remuneration for this role, the scheme has not received much response in the last four months. A directive was issued to each village panchayat to nominate nine skilled candidates in a 1:3 ratio for this scheme. However, only 2,922 applications have been received so far.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, water supply schemes are being implemented in villages. After the scheme’s establishment, the government decided to appoint "Nal Jal Mitras" for the continuous maintenance and repair of the water schemes. The candidates selected must possess skills such as those of a plumber, motor mechanic-fitter, and electrician-pump operator, and will be appointed as Nal Jal Mitras from the local village. Each village will have three Nal Jal Mitras. There are 870 gram panchayats in the district, and about 2,610 Nal Jal Mitras will be appointed across these panchayats, with each panchayat appointing three. Each panchayat was told to recommend nine candidates in a 1:3 ratio to the government. Three of these will be selected and trained. However, despite the program being active for four months, sufficient candidates have not been found. The Zilla Parishad is still in the process of collecting applications for the position of Jal Mitras.

According to sources, there is confusion among the candidates regarding whether they will be integrated into the gram panchayat service or paid a fixed honorarium. The selected Jal Mitras will be either paid by the panchayat based on the work they perform, or the provision of honorarium will be made in the 16th Finance Commission. This financial commission will come into effect on April 1, 2025, and the planning for it is currently underway.

Box

Statistics of applicants:

Masonry Labour-Plumber: 1,011

Motor Mechanic-Fitter: 914

Electrician-Pump Operator: 997

Total: 2,922