Consensus reached among states on long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project at meeting chaired by Union Home Minister

📌 Summary:

• Under Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah's chairmanship, six states reached consensus on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project for rejuvenation of the Yamuna River

• Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); the project will then be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval

• Cost-sharing: the Centre will bear 90% of the water-component cost as Central Assistance, while the six participating states share the remaining 10%

• A consensus was reached to allocate Himachal Pradesh's share of water to Delhi and Rajasthan, in return for those states sharing the cost of HP's portion of the power component

• Framed under the principle of 'solutions through dialogue' (cooperative federalism); expected to be a milestone for a cleaner, rejuvenated Yamuna with increased clean-water flow

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 Polity — cooperative federalism and inter-state water sharing/dispute resolution; links to GS1/GS3 on river rejuvenation and water resources

📝 Prelims Facts:

• The Kishau Dam is proposed on the Tons river, a major tributary of the Yamuna, on the Himachal Pradesh–Uttarakhand border

• It is a multipurpose project (water supply plus hydropower)

• Six states are involved: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan

🔑 Key Term: Multipurpose river valley project — a dam designed to serve several objectives such as irrigation, drinking water, hydropower and flood control