Amit Shah moots Brahmaputra, Godavari, Cauvery linking

CHENNAI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday created a grand pitch for linking major rivers, including the Brahmaputra in the Northeast, with the Cauvery and Godavari in Peninsular India, saying such an initiative could ensure that India faces no water shortage.

Chairing the 31st session of the Southern Zonal Council here, Shah stated protecting the interests of individual states was not wrong, but questioned the rationale of states remaining deprived of water for years while surplus water elsewhere flowed into the sea.

He remarked river-linking could assist overcome such situations and additionally facilitate the creation of multiple waterways, reducing fuel consumption, benefiting the environment and providing a cost-effective system of transportation.

Stating that the southern states have been the main pillars of India's progress, Shah remarked, "Whether it is agriculture, industry, healthy citizens or the environment, water is the soul of this region in all these four areas."

Tamil Nadu CM calls on Amit Shah; session of southern CMs to deliberate key matters As for inter-state water disputes in the North, he noted five of the eight matters had persisted since the pre-British era. An agreement was finally reached five months ago, resolving all problems from Kashmir to UP.

Shah pressed the early resolution of pending water-related matters in the South through joint meetings of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Home Affairs, Inter-State Council and the concerned states.

Chief ministers C Joseph Vijay, N Chandrababu Naidu, D K Shivakumar and V D Satheesan, Lt Governors K Kailashnathan, Admiral (Retd.) D K Joshi and Telangana deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka attended the session.

Shah additionally stressed the need to tackle school dropouts, malnutrition and stunting, saying the national school dropout rate of 9.5% should be brought below 3% through incremental effort by all states.

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