Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
Secondly, the tree plantation effort has as its stakeholders: the river,
the forest, farmers, and the larger society. With so many stakeholders and
such an elaborate complex legal background, implementation of a project
of this kind would require an effective institutional setup, clear roles
and responsibilities of various agencies and a framework that facilitates
collaboration.
The River Boards Act (1956) was enacted to manage inter-state
rivers. The law was passed to manage inter-state rivers with a sense of
urgency in 1956 and the stated objective of the River Boards to be formed
was to deal with ‘matters of the regulation and development of inter-state
rivers and river valleys’. 24
The functions of the Board included advising State Governments on
co-ordination to achieve maximum results in, inter alia,
• Conservation, control and optimum utilization of water resources of
the inter-state river
• Promotion of afforestation and control of soil erosion, and
• Prevention of pollution of the waters of the inter-state river
Considering the grave threats to our rivers, it would be desirable
to have a single managing entity like a River Board for each inter-state
river and rivers that flow within single states. A River Conservation
Authority at national level as nodal institution for all river boards
would also be desirable.
• For smooth and unhindered implementation, considering
the diverse actors and activities, and the timebound nature
of afforestation/plantation interventions, a single window
support system housed in the nodal institution would make the
implementation of river revitalization very efficient.
• Information & Communication Technology support, in the form
of a Dashboard could be instrumental in tracking and informing
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