GK Question

polity hard fill_blank

The Inter-State Water Disputes (Amendment) Act, 2019 established a permanent ______ to replace multiple ad-hoc tribunals, with fixed timelines for inquiry completion and award issuance to expedite resolution of water disputes.

  1. Supreme Court bench
  2. Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal
  3. Finance Commission panel
  4. NITI Aayog committee

Answer: Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal

Inter-State Water Disputes reform (2019 Amendment): (a) Permanent Tribunal: Replaces multiple ad-hoc tribunals for specific disputes (Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari, etc.), (b) Fixed timelines: (i) Inquiry completion within 4.5 years, (ii) Award within 1 year of inquiry report, (iii) Total maximum 5.5 years per dispute, (c) Award finality: Awards final and binding, with implementation monitoring mechanism, (d) Dispute Resolution Committee: For pre-litigation resolution through negotiation, (e) Applications: (i) Cauvery dispute: Decades-long resolution process now subject to fixed timelines, (ii) Mahanadi, Vansadhara disputes: New cases to follow streamlined procedure, (f) Challenges: Technical complexity of water sharing, political sensitivities, data transparency, enforcement of awards, (g) Illustrates federal dispute resolution evolution: From ad-hoc, delayed processes to institutionalized, time-bound mechanisms balancing State rights with national interest.

Topic Federalism - Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal
Exam Relevance Inter-State water dispute resolution critical for UPSC Mains and State PSC exams