Jaipur: Rajasthan has sought the Centre’s intervention to ensure the timely release of Rs 3,000 crore under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0.Chief Secretary V Srinivas raised the issue during a meeting with Union drinking water and sanitation secretary Ashok K Meena in New Delhi Monday. The state also sought reconciliation of scheme-related data and release of funds for expenditure incurred between March 2024 and March 2026 during the transition from JJM 1.0 to 2.0.Srinivas held separate meetings with three Union secretaries during his visit to Delhi, raising issues related to drinking water infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cyber security and rural livelihoods.During his meeting with MeitY secretary S Krishnan at Electronics Niketan, discussions focused on strengthening activities under the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission in Rajasthan and making the state’s cybercrime response mechanism more effective.Srinivas briefed the Union secretary on measures being taken and plans to prevent cybercrime and ensure effective action against offenders. He stressed the need to further strengthen the state’s mechanism to deal with cyber offences.In another meeting with Union rural development secretary Rohit Kansal at Kartavya Bhavan, the chief secretary discussed preparations for the National Saras Mela 2026-27, scheduled to be held in Jaipur from Dec 25, 2026, to Jan 11, 2027.The 18-day fair will be organised by Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (Rajeevika) at the southern campus of Jawahar Kala Kendra, Shilpgram, and the Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj and Grameen Vikas Sansthan campus. The Union ministry of rural development has already approved the event.Around 750-800 stalls will showcase and sell products made by women members of self-help groups from Rajasthan and other states. The fair will also feature around 50 food stalls, live handicraft demonstrations, workshops and cultural programmes.Buyer-seller conferences are also planned to help women entrepreneurs establish market linkages. Efforts will also be made to connect self-help group products to digital marketplaces through the Rajasakhi brand.
