NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tension between India and Pakistan after 18 soldiers were killed in Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to review the Indus Waters Treaty and decided not to cancel the Treaty. However, in a bid to rattle Islamabad, the officials said that India is planning to increase the use of water that flows from India but is controlled by Pakistan.
While meeting with water ministry officials, Modi said, "Blood and water don't flow together."
"The decision is to store water and maximize irrigation area,” Quoting a source, a Delhi-based TV channel said. “With this we would be able to irrigate land in Jammu and Kashmir for nearly six lakh hectares."
He said the decision also addresses the sentiment of people of the state, who believe the treaty isn't fair to them. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the water resources secretary, Principal Secretary to the PM Nripendra Misra and senior PMO officials were present at the meeting.
Government sources quoted by ANI said that India would use its fullest legal rights in the Treaty. Construction of Tulbul navigation project, which was suspended since 2007, would be reviewed and India would use potential of 18,000 megawatt of power from the western rivers under the Treaty. An inter-ministerial taskforce for India's rights would also be formed.
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