Latest news with #CRPatil
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Government moots plans for effective water management
NEW DELHI: To reduce the wastage and misuse of groundwater, the Union Government has identified pilot projects for effective water management. 'We are in the process of finalising the pilot projects,' said CR Patil, Union Minister for Jal Shakti. 'These projects will provide adequate water at a central location with enough pressure so that different farmers can utilise it according to their needs." However, in response to a question about whether the Centre has any plans to tax water supplied to farmers, Patel categorically said that the matter falls under the jurisdiction of state governments and is a state subject. The scheme aims for modernisation of the irrigation water supply network to supply irrigation water from existing canals or other sources in a designated cluster. It will make robust backend infrastructure for micro-irrigation by farmers from established source to the Farm gate up to 1 Ha with underground pressurised piped irrigation. The technology will be used for water accounting and water management. This will increase the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) at the farm level, increase agriculture production & productivity; and thereby increase the income of farmers. 'We are in the process of finalising the pilot projects,' said Patil. 'These projects will provide adequate water at a central location with enough pressure so that different farmers can utilise it according to their needs.' According to the Annual Groundwater Extraction report, the agricultural sector accounts for 87% of the total 239.16 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water extracted. Indiscriminate extraction led to severe depletion of ground water in different states. For this scheme, the Central government has allocated ₹1,100 crore, with an additional ₹500 crore provided from other projects. 'This decision will revolutionise the agriculture sector,' stated Patil. When asked about India's stance on the Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire next year, Patil stated that a decision would be made in the country's best interest, as it is an international treaty. 'The current political situation in Bangladesh is not conducive to discussing another river treaty like the Teesta,' Patil noted while interacting with the media on the 11th anniversary of the Narendra Modi government.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Union government plans to impose farm water tax
NEW DELHI: To reduce wastage and misuse of groundwater, the Union Government now plans to impose a tax on water usage for agricultural purposes. In collaboration with state governments, the Union government will soon launch 22 pilot projects across different states. Under this initiative, farmers will receive sufficient water and would be taxed based on its usage. 'We are in the process of finalizing pilot projects,' said C R Patil, Union Minister for Jal Shakti. 'These will provide adequate water at a central location with enough pressure so that different farmers can utilize it according to their needs. Users will be taxed based on the quantity of water they consume,' he explained. According to the Annual Groundwater Extraction report, the farm sector accounts for 87% of 239.16 billion cubic meters (BCM) of water extracted. Indiscriminate extraction has led to severe depletion of groundwater. The Centre has allocated Rs 1,600 crore for this scheme. States would determine the tax. 'It is essential to prevent misuse. Local water user associations, rather than the state, should levy taxes to control water wastage,' said Ashok K Meena, additional secretary, Dept of Drinking Water and Sanitation. When asked about India's stance on the Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire next year, Patil stated that a decision would be made in the country's best interest, as it is an international treaty. 'The political situation in Bangladesh is not conducive to discussing another river treaty,' Patil said while interacting with journalists.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jal Shakti minister CR Patil reiterates govt stand on Indus Treaty, hits back at Pak
New Delhi India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in the interest of the country and Pakistan's letters on the matter will not change the country's decision, Jal Shakti (water) minister CR Patil said on Thursday, when asked if India is considering renegotiating the water-sharing pact. Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to put the treaty on hold and the move will 'benefit the country', CR Patil said at a briefing. (ANI PHOTO) Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to put the treaty on hold and the move will 'benefit the country', the minister said at a briefing. Asked if India had responded to a series of letters written by Pakistan on the matter, Patil said, 'Writing letters is a natural process. To write letters, replying etc…these things keep happening. But because letters were written…there is no forward movement... there is no change.' On a question if India had stopped water to Pakistan, Patil said: 'In one line, I can say, water isn't going anywhere.' Slamming Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto for his recent statements, the minister said: 'Whatever Bilawal (Bhutto) has to say, that is his question, he has to do his politics. He had also issued threats that if water stops, then blood will flow. We are not scared by threats from jackals.' India announced suspending the bilateral treaty with Pakistan a day after terrorists killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. This was followed by Operation Sindoor, a military campaign by India to strike terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. The former Pakistani foreign minister had said on June 23 in a speech that his country would wage a war with India if the latter denied Pakistan its share of water. Prior to keeping the water-sharing pact in abeyance, India had been pressing Pakistan to renegotiate the agreement, citing natural changes in the Indus river basin itself, which had diminished India's share amid a growing population. Under the treaty, the ratio of water shared between Pakistan and India stood at 80:20. The minister further added, 'We have kept the treaty in abeyance and there's nothing that can be done.' He, however, declined to go into details on India's future plans for hydropower dams on the Indus rivers but said a detailed project report for the long-delayed Tulbul navigation project, also known as Wullar Barrage, was under consideration. 'I can't go into details (on new projects on the Indus system). Answers to certain questions are available only at an appropriate time. This is also in the interest of the country,' the minister said. Following India's suspension of the treaty, the country is working to speed up power projects on the Indus rivers on its side, according to officials. Keeping the pact in abeyance also means India is no longer obliged to provide hydrological information to Pakistan, an HT report had earlier quoted Shashi Shekhar, a former Union water resources secretary, as saying. Desilting of dams is one of the immediate tasks India has lined up, which earlier was governed by the treaty. India is looking to hasten the commissioning of long-pending hydropower projects. The Union government is looking to give speedy clearance to a ₹ 22,700-crore hydropower project in Sawalkote on the Chenab, HT had reported on June 10. On being asked about Union home minister Amit Shah's recent statement that India will not change its stance of holding the pact in abeyance, Patil said, 'Amit Shah sahab is a big leader. He has also taken decisions on this. I can't answer for him. But whatever he said must be correct.' On whether India would press for changes in the Ganga water treaty with Bangladesh, another critical bilateral agreement which expires next year, Patil said it would be decided at the international level and 'we will proceed on that basis'. He however said the current political situation in the neighbour was not 'stable' for discussions on the treaty. The government has created a stage-wise plan on cleaning up the river Yamuna, Patil said. On reported objections by Uttar Pradesh on the use of Ganga water to clean the Yamuna, the minister said the home minister had offered to talk to the state's chief minister on this. 'We are checking the technical feasibility of this. From whatever sources water is required to clean the Yamuna, we will look into it and we are going ahead with this target.' The minister said the Delhi stretch of the river was the most polluted and the problem lay in two major drains. 'It is not possible to treat the water by holding it and this requires sewerage treatment plans.' Robust checks were being carried out on complaints of cost escalation in the government's ambitious Jal Jeevan mission to get piped water to every rural household, Patil said. 'If mistakes were made, they will be rectified and no one will be spared, whether it is a contractor or anyone.' The minister denied there was a delay in completion of the scheme despite the deadline for reaching water to all households being reset to 2028 from 2024. He said new households and new demand had been added since the mission was launched in 2019. The scheme aims to connect each of India's 194.2 million rural households with tap-water connections.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
'Water Won't Go Anywhere,' Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil Reiterates India's Stance on Indus Waters Treaty
Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on Thursday reaffirmed India's position that it will not lift the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, stating that the water under the treaty will not go anywhere. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Paatil said, "The water won't go anywhere. He "Bilawal Bhutto) had threatened of blood and water flowing but we are not scared of such hollow threats," he to Pakistan People's Party Chief Bilawal Bhutto's remarks on the Indus Water Treaty, he sais India will not be threatened by false or aggressive added, "Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto also gave a threat that if water won't flow, blood will flow. I want to say that we won't be intimidated by such threats. Ham aisi gidar dhamkiyon se darte nahi" Regarding the Indus Water Treaty, CR Patil stated, "This decision belongs to the Indian government. Whatever decision is taken will only benefit the nation." During a media briefing on the 11 years of the Modi government, Patil highlighted the government's achievements and work done by the Jal Shakti Ministry. He mentioned, "Under PM Modi's leadership, our country has been growing... This is the first government that thinks for all sections of society... Our farmers are getting direct transfer benefits." Patil also spoke about the government's efforts to conserve and effectively use water for the country's benefit, stating that a Rs 501 crore grant has been received for the Jal Jeevan Mission and the ministry is actively working on its implementation. Earlier, an important source told ANI that the Indian government has decided to divert water meant for Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty for use in four Indian states, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. The Jal Shakti Ministry is working on infrastructure development at a war-footing level to implement this decision. The ministry aims to ensure that not a single drop of water meant for Pakistan goes to waste. Instead, it will be utilised to meet the water needs of four states, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. These states will benefit from the diverted water, addressing their water shortages, sources added. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that "Desh ka pani desh ke haq me bahega ("India's water will flow in India's favour")". The Jal Shakti Ministry has been working towards this goal under the guidance and supervision of Home Minister Amit Shah. Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil held several meetings at the Jal Shakti Ministry to review and discuss the Indus Water Treaty with officials. (With ANI inputs)
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Those committed wrongs in Jal Shakti Mission work won't be spared: Patil
Asserting that any contractor or anyone who had committed wrongs in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) will not be spared, Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil said Thursday that 92 per cent of teams of Central Nodal Officers deputed for 'ground inspection' of the rural tap water schemes have submitted their reports and the remaining are expected to do so by end of this month. Addressing a press conference on achievements of his ministry on completion of the NDA government's 11 years, Patil said, 'Out of 119 teams constituted, 111 teams have completed their survey work. 89 of them have submitted their reports and work is going on the same. I think that the remaining teams are expected to submit their resorts by 30 [June]. Out of the total teams deployed, 92 per cent have submitted their reports, only 8 per cent are yet to do so.' Patil said that anyone who has committed any wrong will not be spared. 'hamne pahle Lok Sabha me bhi kaha tha, aap ko bhi batata hun… ye jo nal se jal ki yojana hai vah samanya aadmi ke ghar me paani dene ki baat hai. (I have said in Lok Sabha before and I reiterate it now. The tap water scheme is aimed at providing drinking water to the common man's house. If any contractor or anyone else commits any wrong, we will not spare anyone),' Patil said, responding to a question. Patil said that he had made it clear and this is the reason that the government had deployed over 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers for ground inspection of the JJM schemes. On May 19, the Centre had announced sending 100 teams for 'ground inspection' of the Jal Jeevan Mission schemes across the country. The move follows a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on May 8 to review the mission's schemes. Later, some more teams were added to the initial list of the teams. Patil said that the states have also been told that there should not be any complaints where tap is installed but no water is available. It has been conveyed to the state governments that if the source of water has dried, it must create another source with their own money and ensure supply of water, he said. Patil's remarks are significant in view of ongoing scrutiny of the JJM amid concerns over rising costs. Since the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore—more than double of the scheme's original outlay of Rs 3.60 lakh crore (Centre: Rs 2.08 lakh crore, States:1.52 lakh crore) — have been approved by the states. On May 21, The Indian Express reported that an investigation of the data uploaded by states and UTs on the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard showed that a crucial change in tender guidelines three years ago lifted the check on expenditure, and led to cost escalations. This resulted in additional costs totalling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes, an increase of 14.58% from their estimated cost. On a query regarding the recent remarks made by Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Indus water, Patil said that India is not afraid of false threats. 'Aisi geedar dhamkiyon se to hum nahin darte. (We are not afraid of false threats),' he said. Patil said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to keep in abeyance the Indus Water Treaty and it will remain in abeyance. 'Water won't go anywhere… Water will remain in India,' he said. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
