(This story originally appeared in on Jul 03, 2015)

NEW DELHI: The finance ministry is expected to step up the allocation for drinking water and sanitation (DWS) ministry, entrusted with implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM).Sources indicated that the allocation will be enhanced by more than three times from the current level of Rs 5,500 crore following a strong pitch made by the DWS ministry.The enhancement may take place in the first supplementary demand for grants, which is expected to be tabled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the monsoon session of Parliament.Following the recommendations of the 14th finance commission, the ministry has seen a sharp reduction in allocation from over Rs 15,000 crore in the budget estimates for the last fiscal year to around Rs 5,500 crore this year.When the DWS ministry had put up a strong case for an increase, the finance ministry had argued that the funds would be spent directly by the states. But intervention at the top level has resulted in a rethink by the finance ministry.A section in the government believes that given the importance of Swachh Bharat in the scheme of things, the Centre should take a lead in spending."An increase will enable us to undertake the programme of building more toilets and to provide clean and safe drinking water," a source in the DWS ministry argued.Sources said the drinking water and sanitation minister Birender Singh had taken it up with the finance ministry and even a parliamentary committee had recorded its concern over reduction in budgetary allocation. The panel had observed that it would have an adverse impact on the two schemes. Ministry sources said MPs cutting across party lines had objected to less central allocation.