Why it is in the news
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting on 1 October 2026 at which the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh will present their positions on the decade-old Mahanadi water-sharing dispute, Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said on 28 September. Chief Secretaries and Chief Engineers of both States' Water Resources Departments will also attend, as the two States pursue a negotiated settlement alongside the pending Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.
The exam angle
Issue: Can political negotiation brokered by the Union resolve inter-State river disputes faster and more durably than tribunal adjudication under Article 262?