Alarmed over the rapid decline in the water table across the country, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has asked State Governments to impose cess on extraction of groundwater. He favoured amending the law making water a national asset, instead of an individual's right. A committee under Kirit Parikh, member of the Plan panel, is looking at the legal and policy framework for groundwater use. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan is likely to reflect concerns that 9 per cent growth target and 10 to 11 per cent industrial growth will further stress groundwater.