“Kindly refer to your Lr.No.G-11011/01/2012-Water dated 4^th July, 2012,   regarding the release of funds under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) during the year 2012-13.   In this connection, I would like to point out that the closing balance of funds under the NRDWP for Tamil Nadu was Rs.243.86 crores as on 31.3.2012.  Of this amount, Tamil Nadu received Rs.58.33 crores on 3.3.2012 as an incentive fund for good performance based on Management Devolution Index.  Further, an additional allocation of Rs.98.20 crores was received on 4.4.2012 based on Tamil Nadu’s good performance and considering the fact that the State had utilised more than 60% of the available funds under the NRDWP.  You may recall, you had written to me about this on 29.3.2012.  In addition, a further sum of Rs.12.24 crores was received under the NRDWP Calamity Fund on 4.4.2012.  Therefore, a total sum of    Rs.168.77 crores was received by Tamil Nadu in the months of March and April, 2012.  
        I would also like to inform you that for the period from 1^st April, 2012, to date, the State has spent a sum of Rs.87.45 crores under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme.  Your Ministry’s Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) also shows the expenditure of Tamil Nadu as Rs.50.71 crores as on 30^th June, 2012.   Tamil Nadu also came in for high praise during the Conference of State Ministers and State Secretaries on 24th and 25th May, 2012, which you had chaired.  You had, in fact, commended the Tamil Nadu model in accounting and auditing for emulation by other States.  
       In the meeting you had also pointed out that States should not be held responsible for NRDWP Funds released at the fag end of the earlier financial year, resulting in higher Opening Balance and directed that the first instalment should be released to all eligible States by 5^th June, 2012.  While my State Government was expecting an early release of funds based on the assurance given by you in the Conference, your letter of  4^th July, 2012, has come as a rude shock.  This is more so in the context wherein for some other States which had a higher opening balance than Tamil Nadu and whose expenditure level was almost on par with Tamil Nadu as per your own IMIS report, a substantial amount of money has been released during 2012-13
as well.  Such differential treatment and discrimination against
Tamil Nadu leads me to wonder whether the release of funds is being done on a purely objective basis.  
      Against this background, given the fairly high level of expenditure incurred by Tamil Nadu till date, I request you to ensure that Tamil Nadu’s first instalment of Rs.138.58 crores is released without any further delay.”