- Bihar and Jharkhand signed an MoU on Sone River water allocation after 25 years of dispute
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah called the agreement a model of cooperative federalism
- The pact improves irrigation in key districts of Bihar and Jharkhand
In a landmark development in inter-state affairs, Bihar and Jharkhand have formally inked an agreement on water allocation from the Sone River, putting to rest a tussle that has been raging for almost 25 years.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), termed the development as an example of "cooperative federalism", and said the accord will help increase irrigation and water supply capacity of both states.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti CR Patil, Chief Ministers of Bihar and Jharkhand - Samrat Choudhary and Hemant Soren, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and other central and state government officials.
"The signing of MoU is in line with the vision of cooperative federalism by the visionary Prime Minister of India," said Shah. The minister added that each state has its own agenda and priorities, but solutions arise only when the governments come together for the greater good of the nation.
Reports said the agreement will lead to an improvement in irrigation facility and water supply in the districts of Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad, Arwal, Gaya and Patna of Bihar, and districts like Palamu and Garhwa in Jharkhand.
The Home Minister further added that the accord will serve as an example of how even disputes relating to agriculture, development of rural areas and water resources could be sorted out through consensus among the states.
The chief ministers thanked PM Modi and Shah for facilitating the the MoU, which is the fourth such accord signed this year in line with the Inter-State Council process of resolving disputes through dialogue and consensus.
In July, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ended a prolonged row over payments made under the Narmada River Water Dispute Tribunal award related to the Sardar Sarovar project.
In June, Rajasthan and Haryana reached a compromise in Yamuna Water Project that will allow transporting their share of water through pipelines to areas where people lack access to drinking water.
The same month, six states - Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan - agreed upon the implementation plan of the Kishau Multipurpose Project, with the Centre promising to fund 90 per cent of the project water component.
This development comes amid the Centre's attempts to settle the decades old inter-state disputes through dialogue and consensus at a time when water security has become extremely critical for both agriculture and rising urban population.
