New Delhi, Dec. 17 -- States have begun cracking down on corruption and poor workmanship in setting up drinking water facilities under the flagship Jal Jeevan Mission, imposing penalties worth over Rs.129 crore on contractors for substandard projects, minister of state for water V Somanna informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Monday.

Six states - Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Rajasthan - have reported "significant action in imposing penalty and recovery process" in cases of financial irregularities and poor-quality work under the programme, the minister said.

Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to connect each of India's 193.6 million rural households with a tap-water connection by the end of 20...