Report No. 6 of 2025: Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Implementation of Har Ghar Nal ka Jal Yojana in Bihar

What did the audit examine?

The audit examined the implementation of the Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal Yojana (HGNJ) in Bihar, focusing on rural and urban water supply schemes from 2017-18 to 2022-23.

Who / what it concerns

Government of Bihar (through Panchayati Raj Department, Public Health and Engineering Department, and Urban Development and Housing Department)

What the auditor found

• Reported rural coverage (98.70%) was inflated compared to actual coverage (95.71%) as of November 2025
• Urban coverage (94%) did not meet the 100% target by March 2020
• PHED could not cover 11.22 lakh households in 46,633 rural wards including 8.07 lakh in quality affected wards
• 77 quality affected wards covered by WIMCs without water treatment plants
• 19 non-quality affected wards not covered under the scheme
• ₹2.77 crore spent on Fluoride Removal Plants in 15 schemes where water quality was not affected by fluoride
• 59% of PHED schemes commenced in 2019-20 or late 2018-19
• ₹2.31 crore paid to contractors for works not executed in 5 PH divisions
• Water quality management deficient: 41 wards implemented without Water Treatment Plants
• Inadequate water quality testing due to infrastructure gaps, manpower shortages, and non-utilisation of test kits

Points worth noting

• ₹2.77 crore spent on Fluoride Removal Plants in 15 schemes where water quality was not affected by fluoride
• ₹2.31 crore paid to contractors for works not executed in 5 PH divisions
• PHED could not cover 11.22 lakh households in quality affected wards