The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2017
The (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 14, 2017. The Bill seeks to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. Under the Act, when a complaint is received from a state government regarding a water dispute, the central government may ask the affected states to undertake negotiations to settle the dispute. If the dispute cannot be settled through negotiations, the central government has to set up a Water Disputes Tribunal within a year of receiving such a complaint. The Bill replaces this provision and requires the central government to set up a Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC), for resolving any inter-state water dispute amicably. The DRC will get a period of one year, extendable by six months, to submit its report to the central government.