Gandhinagar: Amid a situation of scarcity in parts of Saurashtra and Kutch, Gujarat govt is learnt to have made a formal proposal of utilising additional water from the Narmada project and compensating states partnering in the project with electricity.The proposal was made at the Review Committee of the Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) meeting on Tuesday in Delhi which was chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil and attended by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.“A formal proposal has been made by Gujarat to the three other partnering states at the RCNCA. The other states have in-principle agreed to the proposal. Details of how much additional Narmada water will be allocated to Gujarat and what amount of power the state will provide to the partner states in return will be worked out soon,” said a highly placed state govt source.Under the present agreement, Gujarat is allocated 9MAF (million acre feet) of Narmada water.Meanwhile, in a step towards resolving decades-old issues concerning the Narmada project, the RCNCA on Tuesday approved a memorandum of agreement reached among the participating states at its previous meeting in July 2026.The approval of the earlier agreement marks progress in efforts to address long-pending issues through coordination and consensus among the Centre and the four states involved in the Narmada project. The meeting also adopted a conciliatory approach towards resolving other outstanding matters through dialogue and mutual cooperation.For Gujarat, the Narmada is a critical resource for irrigation, drinking water supply and regional development. Resolution of inter-state issues is important for ensuring the effective utilization of the river’s water resources and strengthening coordination among the project’s beneficiary states, the government said, adding that the meeting reflected the spirit of cooperative federalism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The statement said state chief secretary M K Das joined the meeting through video conferencing. Additional principal secretary to the chief minister Vikrant Pandey and other senior officials also participated alongside Patel.
