National water policy and action plan for India 2020 – Part 1 Dr. Prashant Prabhakar Deshpande in Truth, Lies and Politics, India, TOI https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/truth-lies-and-politics/national-water-policy-and-action-plan-for-india-2020-part-1/ November 8, 2021, 10:28 AM IST
Part 2 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/truth-lies-and-politics/national-water-policy-and-action-plan-for-india-2020-part-2/ November 8, 2021,
National Water Policy Panel, headed by Water Policy Expert Mihir Shah, tasked with the updating of the 2012 National Water Policy, has submitted its recommendations to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry.
Some of the major recommendations in the draft National Water Policy, 2020 are:
–A graded fee system for water users;
–Independent regulatory authorities in all states; and,
–Finding cost-effective alternatives to constructing more dams.
The recommendations of the National Water Policy Committee have the potential to transform the water scenario in the country... it...requires the governments, both central & the states, to take the decision to charge fees, as recommended by the NWP Committee, which is not likely to be liked by all, particularly, the Farmers’ Unions who are leading the continuing Farmers’ protest..The decision to charge fees from the farmers, for water on volumetric basis. i.e., on the basis of volume of water used, is not likely to go down well with the farmers, who under the current system, pay a fixed amount, regardless of how much water they consume.
To encourage farmers to move away from growing rice and wheat, the National Water Policy 2020 has recommended shifting the Irrigation Water Fee, from Crop/Acreage/Season to Volumetric basis, Volumetric basis meaning, the farmers will be charged, based on the volume of water they use. Currently, farmers pay a fixed amount, regardless of how much they consume.
In the long run, the Experts say, water shortages will make crop diversification an inevitability. The impending water crisis has therefore forced the Government at the Centre to try & turn around established farming practices & convince farmers to shift from water-guzzlers like rice and wheat to alternate crops which consume less water, particularly, in states like Punjab & Haryana. However, for this, the government may have to provide such incentives to these farmers, like assurance to purchase the alternate crops, to which they will be shifting, at MSP.