Water is a good which is a necessity for human life. The policy makers of independent India who worked for preparation of a free and egalitarian society visualized provision of drinking water to all by the public bodies at minimum charges. For a long time, drinking water was scarce in India and even in many places its access was restricted to a few only. But it was never a commercial product. In India, the idea of a ‘market’ for water evolved in the post-liberalization period. It is only in the last two decades, the market for drinking water has started flourishing here and emerged as an industry. Water market has a huge potential in India with population of 130 crores. The international institutions like IMF and WTO have also favoured market-based solutions for water. According to these votaries of market, water is not a free natural resource but a private good; and market for water will decide a price for water where demand and supply will match. Thus, market-based solutions will help countries to use water resources efficiently and conserve water too. Against this backdrop, this paper has attempted to critically examine the present drinking water policy of the government of India (GOI) and its roadmap to solve the drinking water problem. In this context, we would delve into the role of private sector and the market envisaged by the policy makers. This paper has found that if the path of market-based solutions for drinking water is followed, it will increase disparities in access to drinking water in India. Universal access to safe drinking water is going to be a crucial human rights issue in future.
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