We are delighted to announce that the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India, has appointed Dr Srinivas Chokkakula, MoJS Research Chair at CPR, as a Member of the Drafting Committee for revising National Water Policy.

The Drafting Committee is entrusted with the task of revisiting the National Water Policy to address new and emerging challenges of water governance. It was last reviewed in 2012. The ten-member committee includes Shashi Shekhar [Former Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR)], A B Pandya (Former Chairman, Central Water Commission) and Dr R C Panda (Former Secretary, Government of India) among others as Members. The Committee is expected to submit its report within a period of six months from the date of its constitution.

The appointment strengthens CPR’s continued engagement with national policymaking.  In August 2018, The MoJS (formerly MoWR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CPR for establishing the ‘MoJS Research Chair – Water Conflicts and Governance’ at CPR. Srinivas Chokkakula took over as the Research Chair in October 2018. The Research Chair is mandated to pursue research in the broader area of water policy and governance with particular focus on transboundary river water governance, and extend advisory inputs to the Ministry.