Bill on water dispute adjudication lapses following dissolution of 17th LS

Pending in Rajya Sabha since 2019 following its passage in the lower house, a bill which sought to address the adjudication of disputes concerning inter-state rivers and river valleys has lapsed following the dissolution of 17th Lok Sabha. Bills passed by Lok Sabha and pending in Rajya Sabha or those passed by Rajya Sabha and pending in Lok Sabha lapse after the lower house is dissolved. However, bills introduced and pending in Rajya Sabha do not lapse. A Rajya Sabha bulletin issued on Thursday said 'The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019', passed by Lok Sabha and pending in Rajya Sabha, has lapsed under clause (5) of Article 107 of the Constitution, following the dissolution of 17th Lok Sabha. The amendment bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on July 25, 2019, by then Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The bill sought to amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, which addresses the adjudication of disputes concerning inter-state rivers