Official releases and reports June 2024 – September 2026
RailwaysNew Delhi
Minister of State reviews safety, operations, punctuality and public grievances at Delhi Division Control Office
V. Somanna visited the Control Office of Northern Railway’s Delhi Division. There he observed the section controllers and the engineering, coaching, goods, commercial, signal & telecom, traction and security control desks. According to reports of the visit, his discussions with the Divisional Railway Manager and his team covered technology adoption, staff working conditions and the future development of railway operations.
News reports record a review at the Chief Administrative Officer (Construction) office covering the Tumakuru–Davanagere and Tumakuru–Rayadurga new lines and ROB/RUB works in the Tumakuru–Yesvantpur section.
ROB foundation stone; new Channarayapatna halt for Hassan–Solapur train
According to news reports, he laid foundation stones for a road over bridge at level crossing 138 and a pedestrian subway. He also flagged off the Hassan–Solapur Express (11312) with a new stoppage at Channarayapatna.
World Water Day: close of Jal Mahotsav, release of JJM 2.0 guidelines
Spoke at the close of Jal Mahotsav on World Water Day, when the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 guidelines were released. PIB reports him saying that water conservation “must become a daily collective responsibility”.
Written reply: sustainability of water sources (USQ 951)
Written reply recording that rural households with tap water rose from 3.23 crore (16.72%) in August 2019 to over 15.79 crore (81.57%) by 28 January 2026. It also notes more than 2,800 water-testing laboratories and 24.8 lakh women trained to use field test kits.
Parliament Ministry of Jal Shakti, Lok Sabha USQ 951
Union Budget 2026-27: briefing on railway allocation for Karnataka
Briefed the media with the Minister of Railways on the 2026-27 allocation for Karnataka: ₹7,748 crore, against an average of ₹835 crore a year in 2009–14. About ₹52,950 crore of works are in progress in the state.
“Samvad Samaroh” with WaSH Warriors invited for Republic Day
Present, with the Minister of Jal Shakti and the other Minister of State, at an interaction with 58 water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) workers invited as Republic Day guests.
Sujal Gram Samvad: interaction with Kodi Gram Panchayat, Udupi
At the second edition of Sujal Gram Samvad, he spoke in Kannada with representatives of Kodi Gram Panchayat in Udupi district, Karnataka, about its 24×7 water supply, field-test-kit water quality checks and Nal Jal Mitras.
Written reply: complaints under Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (USQ 804)
Written reply stating that more than 2.68 lakh villages had been certified “Har Ghar Jal”, and that complaints are handled through the CPGRAMS grievance portal.
Message in the National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources, 2025
His message in the 2025 national groundwater compilation observes that regions with a sustainable groundwater balance are shrinking worldwide. It describes groundwater as a natural safeguard against drought, and notes that growing dependence has led to “extensive—and sometimes unplanned—exploitation”.
Ministry publication CGWB, National Compilation 2025 (p. 7)
RUB foundation stones; new Khanapur halt for Hubballi–Dadar train
Laid foundation stones for RUBs at level crossings 380 and 360 and for passenger amenities at Khanapur station, and flagged off the Hubballi–Dadar Express (17317) with a new Khanapur stoppage.
Chairs Bengaluru-region review of road over and under bridges
Chaired a coordination meeting with Bengaluru MPs and railway, state and police officials on ROB and RUB works. The release notes about 75 ROB/RUBs built in the region between 2014 and 2025, and 39 more level crossings planned for replacement.
Interaction with sarpanches on the eve of Independence Day
Met more than 150 sarpanches invited as special guests. Booklets on community water work were released, including “JSA: Catch the Rain 2025 – Voices from the Field”.
Opens road under bridge at Challaghatta; foundation at Ramohalli
Opened the road under bridge replacing level crossing no. 15 at Challaghatta, and laid the foundation stone for the RUB at level crossing no. 16 at Ramohalli.
Opens Gadag (Talakal)–Kushtagi line; foundation for Sindhanur–Raichur
Dedicated the 56 km Gadag (Talakal)–Kushtagi new line section and flagged off the Kushtagi–SSS Hubballi train (17328). He also laid the foundation for the 81 km Sindhanur–Raichur new line.
Written reply: targets under Har Ghar Nal Se Jal and SBM (G)
Written reply recording that rural tap water coverage rose from a baseline of 3.23 crore households (16.8%) in August 2019 to about 15.54 crore households (80.29%) as of 24 March 2025.
Written reply: tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission
Gave a written reply on tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission, setting out the mission’s framework and pointing members to the public JJM dashboard.
Message in the National Compilation on Dynamic Ground Water Resources, 2024
His signed message in the 2024 national groundwater compilation notes that about 70% of India is underlain by hard rock formations. It calls judicious development of groundwater “the need of the hour”, given the country’s heavy dependence on it.
Ministry publication CGWB, National Compilation 2024 (p. 7)
Laid Ministry of Railways notifications on the Table of the House, including Railway Claims Tribunal recruitment rules and Rail Land Development Authority regulations, along with reports of railway public sector undertakings.
Parliament Rajya Sabha, Official Debates, 13 Dec 2024
Attended the announcement of the 5th National Water Awards with the Minister of Jal Shakti and the other Minister of State. There were 38 winners across 9 categories.
Reviews railway projects in Karnataka with railway and district officials
Reviewed about 13 new line and doubling projects in Karnataka with railway and district officials. The release records a target of completion by June 2027.
Reviews Tumakuru–Rayadurga and Tumakuru–Chitradurga–Davangere lines
Held meetings with local MPs, MLAs, railway and district officials to review land acquisition and progress on the Tumakuru–Rayadurga and Tumakuru–Chitradurga–Davangere new line projects.
Reviews Mysuru Division works; station upgrades under Amrit Bharat scheme
During a review of Mysuru Division works he said that 15 stations in the division would be upgraded under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated ₹385 crore.
Inspected the forging, axle and wheel units of the Rail Wheel Factory at Yelahanka, and reviewed the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project together with a Karnataka state minister.
Flags off Vande Bharat service with new Tumakuru stoppage
Flagged off the Dharwad–KSR Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express (20661/20662) with its newly introduced stoppage at Tumakuru, effective from 24 August 2024.
Took charge at the Ministry of Jal Shakti. According to PIB, he spoke to the media about the Jal Jeevan Mission and the rural sanitation (ODF Plus) programme, and was welcomed by the Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Assumed office as Minister of State for Railways at Rail Bhawan, where the Chairman & CEO of the Railway Board received him. The PIB release records that he pledged to carry forward the growth momentum of the railways alongside the Minister of Railways.
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