Case against ex-Rajasthan minister in Rs 1,000-crore Jal Jeevan Mission ‘scam’

A case has been registered against former Rajasthan minister and Congress leader Mahesh Joshi and 22 others in connection with an alleged Rs 1000-crore Jal Jeevan Mission scam.
In the FIR filed against Joshi and 22 other people, the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) claimed that the former minister misused his official powers.
Joshi was the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister in the Ashok Gehlot-led previous Congress government.
Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested some people in a money laundering case linked to the scam.
Speaking to India Today TV, ACB chief Ravi Prakash Meharda said that Joshi may be called for questioning by the agency if the need arises.
“If the need be, yes (the former cabinet minister can be summoned for questioning),” Meharda said to India Today TV.
“The very fact that we have registered a case indicates that there is some evidence… which of course will be confirmed once we investigate fully,” Meharda added.
The central government’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and is being implemented in Rajasthan by the PHED.
The allegations against Joshi included misappropriation of funds with the connivance of officials and contractors of the PHED department in the implementation of the scheme in Rajasthan.
The ED also conducted multiple searches in this case, including at the premises of Joshi, and also arrested an alleged middleman and some contractors.
The others accused in the scam include Sushil Sharma, a financial advisor to Joshi, Chief Engineers RK Meena and Dinesh Goyal, among others.