GUWAHATI: The Assam government has issued a directive for release of payments to vendors of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), following the recent sanction of ₹7,500 crore by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. This amount represents the third tranche of the first instalment for the fiscal year 2024-25.
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However, with total funding needs exceeding the sanctioned amount, the Mission Directorate has adopted a part-payment approach to manage disbursements effectively.
In the official directive, Mission Director Shri Kailash Karthik N., IAS, outlined several conditions to ensure the judicious use of funds across projects. The key guidelines include:
1. Full Payment for Lower-Value Bills: Bills under ₹7.5 lakh will receive 100% payment.
2. Partial Payments for Mid and High-Value Bills: Bills between ₹7.5 lakh and ₹30 lakh will receive ₹7.5 lakh. Bills exceeding ₹30 lakh are eligible for 25% of the approved amount.
3. Prioritisation Based on Partial Payments: Vendors with prior partial payments will receive 25% of the remaining amount.
4. Payments for Specific Bill Types: Third-party inspection (TPI) and Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Program (WQMSP) bills are eligible for 50% payment.
5. Full Remuneration for Contractual Staff: Salaries and mobility expenses for JJM contractual staff will be paid in full.
The guidelines also include restrictions on fund re-appropriation, prohibiting additional GST payments, and withholding payments for poorly performing contractors across all schemes if any single project shows unsatisfactory progress.
Complaints against contractors will also result in payment holds until issues are resolved.
