The Rajasthan government dismissed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s request for Rs 1.44 lakh crore in water royalties, deeming it unconstitutional and lacking legal basis. Mann referred to a 1920 agreement involving the British government, the princely state of Bikaner, and Bahawalpur (now in Pakistan), urging Rajasthan to settle alleged dues or cease water extraction. Rajasthan’s Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat clarified that the original agreement obligated payments to the British government, not Punjab.
Invoking Article 262 of the Constitution, Rawat emphasized that inter-state river water is a national asset governed by Parliament, not a tradable commodity between states. He highlighted that Rajasthan, under the 1955 and 1981 agreements, was allocated specific water shares without any provision for royalties. Rajasthan currently accesses water through various channels managed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board under the Government of India.
In response to Rajasthan’s refusal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced plans to pursue legal action during a press conference in Chandigarh. Mann alleged that Rajasthan ceased paying water royalties to Punjab after 1960, accumulating dues of Rs 1.44 lakh crore from 1960 to 2026. Water from Punjab reaches Rajasthan’s arid regions through the Indira Gandhi Canal.
