Agriculture occupies a critical position in the country’s economy, ensuring food security, providing livelihoods, and indeed as a way of life for most rural people. Due to many reasons, growth in agriculture has been largely driven by groundwater based irrigation, powered by electricity.

The thermal power generation capacity in India is set to expand massively. Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) analysed by the Prayas Energy Group shows that the ministry has accorded environmental clearances to a large

A massive expansion in thermal power generation in India is on the anvil. Environmental clearances have already been granted to about 200,000 MW of thermal power projects and capacity totaling to another 500,000 MW is in various stages of securing environmental clearance.

There is a surge of privatisation in the water sector in India. It is being justified in the name of bringing in new investments and increasing efficiency to address the myriad problems of the water sector. At the same time, a series of restructuring programs in many states are attempting to reform the water sector and transform it into a fully commercial and market operation.

As a region of great geographic, ecological, social, and cultural
diversity, the Himalayas are a true global heritage. They are
also the source of some of Asia

This booklet attempts to present: key issues in privatisation and commercialisation of water; global experiences of the promises and practices of privatisation, an overview of privatisation projects in the country, a broad picture of the commercialisation of the water sector under the reforms program, impacts of privatisation and commercialisation and emerging resistance, key players including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and the roles played by them, and possible options to privatisation.