Deploying the provisions of Articles 252 and 253 as well as its powers in the Concurrent List (subjects on which both the Centre and States have powers, but the Centre can prevail over the States), the Centre has gone beyond the role envisaged at the time of the framing of the Constitution, especially in the domain of environmental law. [...] The collective outcome of worsening conditions is akin to the ‘tragedy of the commons’, raising concerns about the Centre’s role.10 10 In this report, the federal government in India is referred as the Centre, the Union government or the federal government depending on the context of discussion. [...] (i) What is the division of powers between the Centre and States in terms of the federal arrangements for WRM? What does the existing body of work tell about how the federal governance is practised in comparison to the letter of the law? (ii) What is the state of WRM in India and in the individual States? What are the specific drivers, priorities and strategies of states that can be linked to thei. [...] Entry 17 of the State List reads: “Water, that is to say, water supplies, irrigation and canals, drainage and embankments, water storage and water power subject to the provisions of entry 56 of List I.” Entry 56 of List I, the Union List, reads: “Regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys to the extent to which such regulation and development under the control of the Union. [...] The practice of this organization of powers is thus linked to the politics of evolution and transformation of the Indian state, in particular the Centre-State relations.
- Pages
- 82
- Published in
- India
