Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday asked Rajasthan govt to pay up Rs 1.44 lakh crore in dues for water that it had used since 1960. Questioning why Rajasthan continued to draw 18,000 cusecs under a 1920 agreement while allegedly failing to pay, Mann said the neighouring state must either settle its rightful dues or stop drawing water, while calling for a review of the historic 1920 agreement. “Ah gall hun vadhugi (This issue will now escalate). We will raise our demand at the highest level,” Mann said. The CM highlightred the “contradiction” in Rajasthan’s stand. “Even today, Rajasthan continues to draw water under the 1920 agreement, but when it comes to paying dues, it takes shelter under the 1960 arrangement. Govts at that time, while entering into the new arrangement in 1960, did not mention payment, but they also never cancelled the 1920 agreement,” he said.“Rajasthan govt owes Rs 1.44 lakh crore to Punjab for water drawn through the Ferozepur Feeder since 1960, for which not even a single penny has been paid,” he said. He stated that as per an agreement signed in the 1920s between the state of Bikaner, erstwhile Punjab province, and the British, Rajasthan had agreed to pay for water on a per-acre basis. “Payments were made till 1960. But, after the Indus Water Treaty, Rajasthan stopped paying despite continuously drawing 18,000 cusecs of water,” he said. “If they say there is no agreement with us or the payment is not mentioned under Indus treaty, why is Rajasthan drawing 18,000 cusecs under the 1920 treaty?”Questioning “past inaction”, Mann said the 1960 agreement mandated a review every 25 years, but past govts never pursued Punjab’s “rightful claim”. He added Punjab will pursue the matter “firmly”. “We will raise this issue strongly at all appropriate forums and ensure Punjab gets what is rightfully its own. We will leave no stone unturned to recover this money,” he said.He said Punjab had raised the issue with both the Centre and Rajasthan govt. “We have also written a letter to the Rajasthan govt for a meeting to discuss this issue,” Mann said.The CM said the govt had checked with the Punjab advocate general, who opined the 1920 agreement had not been terminated. “Either Rajasthan pays royalty under the 1920 treaty or the payment clause is added to the Indus Water Treaty,” he said. Mann added that if the Centre could convene meetings on the Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, it was expected to intervene on this issue also. More verification options for Rs 1k women’s doleReferring to the recently announced Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for women and Rs 1,500 for women from the SC community, CM Mann said Punjab govt was considering changing the Aadhaar-linked bank account requirement as several cases had come to light wherein the fingerprints of women were not matching due to hard labour. “In many cases, Aadhaar IDs were made 15 years ago. Fingerprints of poor women have eroded due to household chores. We have now called a meeting with banks to consider alternative verification methods. They can either take retina scan or use an existing account. We don’t want any beneficiary to be left out,” he added.The newly introduced Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna is a near-universal cash transfer scheme launched in the 2026-27 state budget. With an outlay of Rs 9,300 crore, the govt intends for these funds to be transferred directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
