NEW DELHI, INDIA, Dec. 28, 2012 -- The National Water Resource Council has adopted the National Water Policy in the sixth council meeting held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh.

The Union Water Resource Minister Shri Harish Rawat said some of the states had doubts about the proposed National Water Framework Law and that it would infringe upon the rights of the states on water. Others had reservations about the interbasin transfer of water, and many called for speedy resolution of inter-state disputes.

There was a broader consensus of community management of water resources and a climate change adaptation strategy, particularly of water harvesting structures and water bodies and efficient use of water, Shri Rawat added. He said the proposed National Water Framework law and the law on River Basin Management would be drafted only after extensive consultation with states to ensure that their powers are not reduced.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the National Water Policy was an effort to focus on the human cause in the water sector and would lay a road map for the future based on principles of equity, sustainability and good governance as well as wise management of scarce water resources.

Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of Water Resources, said that the draft was the result of stakeholder meetings including Members of Parliament, academia, NGOs, corporate sector and Panchayati Raj Institutions. He also made sure concerns get addressed, ensuring equity and social justice.

The National Water Resources Council meeting attendees include Chief Ministers, Union Ministers and State Ministers. Chief Ministers of Assam, Punjab, Mizoram, Goa, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Union Territory of Chandigarh participated in the Meeting. Several States were represented by their Ministers who also spoke during the Council meeting.

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