Delivering the key note address at an international conference on ‘Blue Revolution: Charting South Asia’s Water Future’ organised by the Observer Research Foundation in association with the PHD Chamber of Commerce, Shri Salman Khurshid said the Central Government is planning to convene a day-long meeting of the Chief Ministers to discuss the issue of water management and how to improve storage and utilisation. “The Prime Minister has agreed to address a day-long session of the Chief Ministers,” Shri Khurshid said. He said while the Centre is formulating a new Water Policy, which would incorporate the central issue of governance, including all aspects like environment and development, the States are free to formulate their own policies as water is a ‘State’ subject.

Stressing the need to change the mindset about water, the Minister said the Government would bring in changes in laws, if necessary, including some changes in the Constitution. Saying that, “we are sitting on a volcano and a major crisis is staring at us”, Shri Khurshid said his Ministry is keen to make the water issue a people’s movement to help change the people’s mindset. “We would start a ‘Water Week’ from next year”, he said.

The Minister said he is waiting for signals from the Nepal government to take forward talks with the Nepalese government following good talks with the Nepalese President when he visited India. Regarding the reported Chinese move to build a dam on its side of the Brahmaputra river, Shri Salman Khurshid discounted apprehensions of diversion of water from, the river.

The daylong international conference on water was attended by experts from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore besides India.