States may adopt National Water Policy tomorrow

Draft says a framework law must recognise water not only as a scarce resource but also as a sustainer of life and ecology

PTI | December 27, 2012



The National Water Resources Council chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to adopt on Friday the draft National Water Policy, 2012 that stresses on the need to evolve a broad over-arching national legal framework on water.

The draft announced by the government in January this year was revised twice based on the recommendations made by the National Water Board.

The Prime Minister chairs the meeting of the Council which has all the Chief Ministers as its members. The last meeting of the Council held in April, 2002 had adopted the National Water Policy, 2002.

"Even while it is recognised that states have the right to frame suitable policies, laws and regulations on water, there is a felt need to evolve a broad over-arching national legal framework of general principles on water to lead the way for essential legislation on water governance in every state of the Union and devolution of necessary authority to the lower tiers of government to deal with the local water situation," says the latest draft.

It said such a framework law must recognise water not only as a scarce resource but also as a sustainer of life and ecology.

"Therefore, water needs to be managed as a community resource held by the state under public trust doctrine to achieve food security, livelihood, and equitable and sustainable development for all...," it states.

The meeting of the National Water Resources Council earlier proposed for October 30 had to be put off following the Cabinet reshuffle which saw Harish Rawat taking over as the new Water Resources Minister.

The meet was postponed to allow Rawat understand the functioning of the ministry and prepare him to answer questions Chief Ministers may raise on water-related issues, particularly Centre-state relations.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter