JAIPUR: Water Institute, a joint initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Rajasthan Government, has become functional here in the Rajasthan capital. A brief ceremony in the rented premises of the Institute over the weekend marked its commencement. The Water Institute is the outcome of a memorandum of understanding signed by CII and the State Government during the Water Summit here in 2006 in the presence of the then Governor of Rajasthan, Pratibha Patil, for setting up a state-of-the-art centre of excellence providing solution to all issues related to water. The Institute's activities would include rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment and desalination, among others. The ceremony to mark the start of the Institute in the Lal Kothi Scheme area was attended by S. N. Thanvi, Principal Secretary, Water Resources, Ajit K. Singh, Commissioner, Industries, and Apurv Kumar, Chairman of the CII Rajasthan State Council. Mr. Kumar said the Water Institute would be one of its kind in India and would help all the stakeholders in evolving workable models and solutions in water management. R. K. Poddar, immediate past Chairman of CII Rajasthan, urged the Government to speed up the process of land allocation so that suitable infrastructure could be put in place at the earliest. Mr. Thanvi called for a special focus on rainwater harvesting models and training component for the end-users.