RCNCA's 15th Meeting Clears Sardar Sarovar Dues Deal

The Review Committee for the Narmada Control Authority, known as RCNCA, held its 15th meeting on 27 October 2026 by video conferencing. C. R. Paatil, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, chairs the Committee and presided over the sitting. Four Chief Ministers joined him: Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat, Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra, Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh and Bhajan Lal Sharma of Rajasthan.

What the Committee decided

The Committee took on record the opinion of the Attorney General for India. It also adopted the Memorandum of Agreement that the four States had signed on 7 July 2026 in New Delhi, in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and of the Jal Shakti Minister. That Memorandum settles, in one stroke, every pending inter-State due, claim and financial liability among the four. Having adopted it, the Committee went on to approve the manner in which the outstanding amounts will actually be paid.

Why it matters

The money in question belongs to projects awarded under the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, the NWDT Award. Dues under those projects are now to be cleared within the current financial year, 2026-27. The arrangement closes a dispute that had run for decades over how the cost of building the Sardar Sarovar Project should be shared between Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. With a one-time settlement in place, the four States no longer have to argue each claim separately, and the Authority can turn to running the project rather than reconciling ledgers.

Who was thanked

The Jal Shakti Minister recorded his thanks to the four Chief Ministers for agreeing to the Attorney General's opinion, to the Memorandum of 7 July 2026 and to the payment modalities. He said that every effort is being made to settle inter-State river water questions. He also thanked officers of the party States, of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and of the Narmada Control Authority for their work on the Memorandum and for convening the 15th meeting to ratify it.

The bodies involved