Centre Releases Thousands of Crores to Himachal Under Jal Jeevan Mission, PMKSY; Harsh Mahajan Targets Sukhu Govt’s “No Funds” Claim
Shimla:
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, saying the Congress government’s repeated claim that Himachal Pradesh is being denied Central funds stands “exposed” by official data placed in Parliament.
Raising a starred question in the Rajya Sabha, Mahajan sought details of Central assistance released to Himachal Pradesh under schemes of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Replying on behalf of the Centre, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary presented figures showing substantial and continuous financial support to the state, particularly under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and irrigation-related schemes.
According to the reply, Himachal Pradesh had a total available outlay of ₹2,163.83 crore under JJM in 2022–23, of which ₹1,615.65 crore was spent. In 2023–24, ₹950.52 crore was available and ₹859.96 crore was utilised.
For 2024–25, ₹228.04 crore was released, with an expenditure of ₹189.20 crore recorded so far. The Centre stated that these figures reflect steady funding for rural drinking water supply and related infrastructure.
Under the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme (FMBAP), the Centre released ₹30.16 crore to Himachal Pradesh in 2023–24.
The utilisation certificates for this amount have already been submitted by the state government, the minister informed the House.
The reply further said that under the Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management (M-CADWM) scheme, ₹4.37 crore has been sanctioned for 2025–26 for a project in Haroli block of Una district.
In addition, Himachal Pradesh has received a total Central assistance of ₹450.56 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) over the past few years.
This includes ₹142.30 crore in 2023–24, ₹113 crore in 2024–25 and ₹154.76 crore released in 2025–26 up to January 2026.
Reacting to the parliamentary reply, Mahajan said the data “completely punctures” the Congress government’s narrative that the Centre has withheld funds, a charge repeatedly made by Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, including claims that nearly ₹1,800 crore of Jal Shakti schemes money was not released.
Mahajan said the state government has itself submitted multiple utilisation certificates, including nine under PMKSY, clearly indicating that funds were released and spent. He asserted that the Centre has been extending continuous financial support and urged the state government to focus on timely implementation of schemes rather than “political blame games.”
He added that the BJP-led Central government remains committed to Himachal Pradesh’s development and will continue to provide all possible assistance to the state.