The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at over half a dozen locations in Rajasthan as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation into the execution of the Centre’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission,’ sources said.
Currently ongoing, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the searches, initiated in the morning, targetting various premises, including those belonging to former Minister Mahesh Joshi, according to official sources, as ANI reported.
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This follows a series of raids conducted approximately two and a half months ago, where 25 locations in Rajasthan, including the residences of a senior IAS officer, engineers, contractors, and former state government officials, were scrutinised for potential links to the case.
These raids in the matter were first launched by a probe agency in November of the previous year, focusing on locations in Jaipur and Dausa city. Before this, on September 1, similar searches were carried out in various cities across Rajasthan.
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The ED’s investigation stems from a First Information Report (FIR) filed earlier by the Rajasthan Police. In June, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena alleged a scam amounting to Rs 20,000 crore in the implementation of the Central government’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in Rajasthan.
Meena claimed that tenders amounting to Rs 900 crore were awarded to two companies based on fake experience certificates in 48 projects under the scheme.
The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ aimed at ensuring the provision of safe and sufficient drinking water through household tap connections. The program is being executed by the Rajasthan Public Health Engineering Department.