Mumbai : With over 25,000 water supply projects in Maharashtra stalled due to lack of funds and fears of an El Nino-hit monsoon looming large, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday met Union Jal Shakti minister C. R. Patil in New Delhi and secured an assurance of nearly ₹6,800 crore as central assistance for pending Jal Jeevan Mission and irrigation works.After fund freeze, Centre to release ₹6.8k crore for Maha Jal Jeevan MissionThe Centre is expected to prioritise funding for projects that are over 75% complete, followed by those above 50% completion, helping break the deadlock that had halted thousands of works across the state.The crisis began in June 2025 when the Union Jal Shakti ministry informed Maharashtra that ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission projects would have to be completed using the state’s own resources, with no funds from the central government. Following the move, over 25,000 of the state’s 51,000 projects were stalled because of non-payment of dues.The delay had triggered concerns over rural drinking water supply and water conservation works, especially amid warnings of an El Nino impact on the upcoming monsoon. Speaking after the meeting, Fadnavis said the Centre had responded positively to Maharashtra’s request for financial and technical support under the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).“We are going to get ₹6800 crore assistance. Priority funding will be given to projects that are already 75% complete and then to the projects which are completed above 50%,” said Fadnavis.He said nearly 90% of the schemes had already undergone joint review by state and central officials to ensure transparency and quality standards. Water supply projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission will now be verified at village, gram panchayat, taluka and district levels to identify gaps and improve water sources.The state government also discussed expanding water conservation initiatives such as ‘Jal Tara’ and ‘Jalyukt Shivar’ with the help of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and Gram Panchayat resources. According to Fadnavis, revised norms will allow more Gram Panchayat funds to be utilised for water conservation works in drought-prone regions.Discussions were also held on river-linking projects, with the state deciding to focus more on intra-state river-linking plans as inter-state projects take longer due to coordination issues between states. Fadnavis said projects such as the Wainganga-Nalganga river link and diversion of west-flowing rivers towards Marathwada and north Maharashtra could significantly reduce drought conditions in nearly 52% of affected regions.Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said Maharashtra has signed an agreement with the Art of Living Foundation, founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, to expand the ‘Jaltara’ initiative. Around 65,000 recharge structures have already been built across the state to improve groundwater recharge and support farmers, and the state plans to further increase the number to improve groundwater recharge and support farmers.