T. N. Narasimhan

India's recently announced Water Mission provides a rare opportunity for informed public debate to formulate a national water policy to unify the country in equitable use of the vital resource.

Fighting for water is not as rare as we think it is. Brawls and loss of life are reported every summer from different parts of the country. Yet, there is very little urgency about using water more efficiently. VIBHA SHARMA reports on the worsening situation

* DIAMONDS AND OIL ETC ARE WORTH NOTHING IN THE ABSENCE OF WATER
* MOST PEOPLE FEEL WATER SHOULD COME FREE

ASIT JOLLY
CHANDIGAR

Having alread offended political veteran Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari has now drawn the ire most Punjabi politicians in suggesting the nationalisation of water resources through river-linking and the inclusion of irrigation in the concurrent list instead of the state list.

DINDIGUL: Kudaganar and Sandhanavarthini rivers would be linked under the river-linking project to benefit drought-affected areas such as Vedasandur and improve agriculture activities in such areas, said I. Periasamy, Revenue Minister.

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra and Gujarat have signed an agreement to prepare detailed project reports on linking of rivers that will benefit both.

Watched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal.

With an aim to provide water to arid and water deficit areas, Gujarat and Maharashtra have signed a pact with the Central Government to prepare project reports to inter-link several rivers in their region.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, on Monday signed an MoU to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for two river interlinking projects to facilitate inter-basin transfer of water to benefit both the states.

Ends Years Of Denial Despite Evidence

New Delhi: After several years of denying the existence of any river project on the Brahmaputra, China has finally admitted to India that they are indeed building a hydropower project on the river.

CHENNAI: Interlinking of rivers can affect the hydrologic cycle of the country and the Planning Commission is yet to come out with a report on the issue, according to its member, Dr Mihir Shah.

ASKS CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO INCLUDE IRRIGATION IN CONCURRENT LIST
INTERLINKING of rivers is one of the key policies that would help the government strengthen the country, voiced the party president Nitin Gadkari here on Monday. "Bring BJP to power, and this project will be on the priority list, which will be a boon to the South Indian States especially," he asserted.