ED makes fresh arrest in Rajasthan’s Jal Jeevan Mission case

The Enforcement Directorate has made a new arrest related to its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme in Rajasthan, according to official sources.

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The Jal Jeevan Mission, initiated by the Union government, aims to deliver safe and sufficient drinking water through household tap connections. The state’s Public Health Engineering Department is implementing this mission in Rajasthan. The federal agency arrested Piyush Jain earlier this year as the first individual in this case. The Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering investigation originates from an FIR filed by the anti-corruption bureau.

The FIR alleges that Padamchand Jain, Mahesh Mittal, Piyush Jain, and others bribed public officials to secure illegal protection, obtain tenders, sanction bills, and cover up irregularities in executing various tenders awarded by the Public Health and Engineering Department.

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Allegations of Fraud and Corruption in Tender Processes

According to an earlier statement by the agency, the suspects purchased “stolen” goods from Haryana for use in their contracts and submitted “fake” work completion letters from IRCON to secure contracts from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that numerous middlemen and property dealers assisted officials from the Rajasthan government’s PHED in embezzling “illegally earned” money from the Jal Jeevan Mission. The investigation revealed that Padamchand Jain and Mahesh Mittal obtained tenders for Jal Jeevan Mission projects using “allegedly fake work completion certificates issued by IRCON” and by bribing senior PHED officials.

The ED stated that Piyush Jain was “managing” the accused firms’ affairs and received about ₹3.5 crore, considered the proceeds of crime. In connection with the investigation, the ED searched premises in Jaipur and Dausa, including those of senior PHED officials, former Rajasthan minister Mahesh Joshi, and IAS officer Subodh Agarwal.

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