CAG finds ₹2.31 crore paid for unexecuted HGNJ works in Bihar

This audit examined the implementation of the Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal (HGNJ) Yojana in Bihar for the period 2017-18 to 2022-23. It assessed the performance of the Panchayati Raj Department (PRD), Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED), and Urban Development and Housing Department (UD&HD) in providing piped water supply.

Government of Bihar; Panchayati Raj Department (PRD); Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED); Urban Development and Housing Department (UD&HD).

• Reported rural household coverage was inflated at 98.70% as of March 2023, compared to 95.71% actual coverage as of November 2025.
• Urban coverage was reported at 94% as of March 2023, failing to meet the 100% target set for March 2020.
• PHED failed to cover 11.22 lakh households in 46,633 rural wards, including 8.07 lakh households in quality-affected areas.
• ₹2.77 crore was spent on installing Fluoride Removal Plants in 15 schemes where water quality was not affected by high fluoride levels.
• ₹2.31 crore was paid to contractors in five test-checked PH divisions for works that were not executed.
• 59% of PHED schemes commenced only in 2019-20 or late 2018-19, despite a target completion date of end of 2019-20.
• Water quality management was deficient, with many quality-affected wards lacking functional water treatment plants or chlorinators.
• Monitoring systems like NischaySoft and Nagarsewa were found to be unreliable or non-functional.
• Recommendations include ensuring efficient planning, 100% coverage of eligible beneficiaries, and detailed surveys.

Written from the document by AI, and checked against it. The original below is authoritative.

The original document