Webinar on Water Laws in India

Theme: “India’s water future: Need for a paradigm shift in legal & policy framework”.

The Society for Legal and Policy Research (SOLPO Research) is pleased to invite you to a round table discussion on matters of the law, policy, and administration concerning the use of water and its other crucial dimensions such as human rights, human health and social and environmental concerns.

Join us for a conversation with Mr. Upendra Prasad Singh (IAS; Secretary, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Government of India), Mr. Rajendra Singh (“Waterman of India”; Water conservationist; Chairman, Tarun Bharat Sangh), Dr. Philippe Cullet (Professor of international and environmental law at SOAS University of London; Senior visiting fellow at CPR, New Delhi) and Mr. K P Bakshi (IAS (Retd.); Former Chairman Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority). 

Moderated by Mr. Sanjay Sen, Senior Advocate (SOLPO Research) and Mr. Subrat Ratho, IAS (Retd.)

From a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click to join https://zoom.us/j/93545421036

Note: Password is not required.

Water resources management is estimated to be the single largest issue which will dominate the discourse on environmental and natural resources law in the coming decades. India is home to 18 percent of the world population and has only 4 percent of the global water resources. Growing water scarcity and the need to use the available water more efficiently among different sectors creates an urgent need to seriously engage with stakeholders and firm up the existing water-related regulatory structure to deal with India’s crippling water poverty.

In our webinar on India’s water future, you can expect discussions on various issues in the context of distribution, pricing, quality, consumption and conservation of water in India. We would also pay special attention to the agricultural sector and the differential treatment required for other sectors (like energy). We would also like to explore and discuss options of privatization of water distribution in certain areas, including the need to improve efficiency and quality.

The webinar will explore the following:

• Is water a good or commodity having economic value? Acceptable and established principles of valuation or pricing of water – Conflict of Public Trust Doctrine with the State’s sovereign right or monopoly power over water and also the creation of economic value and pricing of water. Can there at all be any Private sector participation in the water sector?
• Reform and restructuring in delivery of water services – Challenges in providing access to safe water in urban and rural areas.
• Is there a need for a National Water Grid?
• Design and evaluation parameters for review of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT)
• Legal, regulatory and policy framework changes concerning water-resource exploitation, transmission, delivery, consumption and conservation – Suitability of the Constitutional division of legislative power relating to water between the Union and the States for the management and conservation of water resources – A National water law – A critique of the existing draft national water acts.

Our Panellists 

Mr. Upendra Prasad Singh (IAS; Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India) 

Mr. Upendra Prasad Singh is a 1985 batch IAS officer. Mr. Singh currently holds the post of Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. He also has the additional charge of CEO of the National Mission for Clean Ganga. He was earlier a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Steel, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and CMD, Oil India Limited. Mr. Singh has also served as Water Resources Principal Secretary in Odisha. 

Mr. Rajendra Singh (“Waterman of India”; Water conservationist; Chairman, Tarun Bharat Sangh)

Post-Graduate in Hindi literature Ayurvedic physician Mr. Rajendra Singh is an Indian water conservationist and environmentalist from Alwar district, Rajasthan. Mr. Singh’s life work has been in building social capacity to solve local water problems through participatory action, empowerment of women, linking indigenous know-how with modern scientific and technical approaches and upending traditional patterns of development and resource use. He is the winner of the prestigious 2015 ‘Stockholm Water Prize’. He was conferred the 2001 ‘Ramon Magsaysay Award’ for Community Leadership as well as the 2005 ‘Jamnalal Bajaj Award’ for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development. Mr. Singh also heads the Rashtriya Jal Biradari, a national network of organizations working for the restoration of rivers in India.

Dr. Philippe Cullet (Professor of international & environmental law at SOAS University of London; Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi)

Dr Philippe Cullet has qualifications in law and development studies from Geneva University, London (King’s College and SOAS University) and Stanford University. He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. His main areas of interest include environmental law, natural resources, human rights and the socio-economic aspects of intellectual property. He works on these at the international level and in India. Dr Cullet was the Convenor of the Sub-group on Legal Issues Related to Groundwater Management and Regulation of the Planning Commission of India that prepared the draft Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection and Regulation of Groundwater, 2011. In 2015-2017, he was a member of the committee of the Government of India’s Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation drafting the Draft National Water Framework Bill, 2016 and the Groundwater (Sustainable Management) Bill, 2017. In 2019, he became a member of the Group of Experts of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to prepare the Madhya Pradesh Water Strategy, including drafting the Madhya Pradesh Right to Water (Conservation & Sustainable Use) Act, 2019. He is currently working on septage management, water ATMs and farmers’ rights.

Mr. K P Bakshi (IAS (Retd.); Former Chairman Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority)

Mr. K. P. Bakshi is a 1982 batch IAS officer. He holds B.Tech (Hons) from IIT, Kharagpur and MBA (with distinction) from HULL University, England. His experience spans across domains of Urban Development, Water Regulations, Maritime Development, Human resource planning, Food Security, Surveillance & Cyber Security, Finance & Planning etc. Mr. Bakshi has held various senior positions in the Government – as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Departments of Home, Planning, and General Administration; as the Principal Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies, C.E.O, Maharashtra Maritime Board. He has also served as the Municipal Commissioner of cities of Amravati, Nashik, and Thane. He was appointed as the Chairman “Godavari River Basin Water Plan Committee”, Chairman of the “Empowered Committee” for implementing the various recommendations of the Special Investigating Team headed by Dr. M.A. Chitale in 2013, the “7th Pay Committee for Revision of Pay-scales of the State Government Employees of Maharashtra”. He has also served as the Member Secretary of the “the High-Level Committee on Balanced Regional Development Issues in Maharashtra” set up in 2011 under the chairmanship of Dr.Vijay Kelkar. Mr. Bakshi was the Chairman of the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority until May 2020. 

The session will be held online via Zoom. Login Time: 4.45 PM; Webinar Start Time: 5.00 PM

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click this URL to join. https://zoom.us/j/93545421036

Note: Password is not required.