Govt to create plan for water utilization: Chouhan

New Delhi

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Thursday that the government will develop short, mid, and long-term plans to better utilize the water allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty, especially for irrigation in border states. He described the suspension of the treaty following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam as a historic decision in the nation's interest.

Chouhan called the 1960 treaty a historical mistake, stating that it allowed Pakistan to use most of the water from Indian rivers like the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum. He criticized the agreement for giving 80% of the water from these rivers to Pakistan.

In response to the recent attack, the government has suspended the treaty and plans to use every drop of water for the benefit of Indian farmers. The minister emphasized that this decision would primarily benefit farmers in border states such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, helping them access more water for irrigation.

Chouhan also expressed strong support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on eliminating terrorism and praised the Indian army for the successful execution of 'Operation Sindoor'. On May 6-7, the Indian military struck nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, including bases of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, as retaliation for the Pahalgam massacre.