Official sources said the meeting, scheduled to take place tomorrow, may now be held after the Winter Session of Parliament to allow Rawat understand the functioning of the ministry and prepare him to answer questions Chief Ministers may raise on water-related issues, particularly Centre-state relations.
The Prime Minister chairs the meeting of the Council which has all the Chief Ministers as its members. The last meeting of the Council held in April, 2002 had adopted the National Water Policy, 2002.
The notice informing the postponement was issued on October 27, a day before the reshuffle when it had become clear that Pawan Kumar Bansal may move out of the Ministry. He has taken over the Railways Ministry.
The revised draft of the National Water Policy, 2012 recommends evolving a "broad over-arching national legal framework" on water.
Several state governments had recently termed it as an infringement of their rights in a federal set-up following which the Centre had clarified that framework law is merely an "umbrella statement of general principles."
"Even while it is recognised that states have the right to frame suitable policies, laws and regulations on water; there is a felt need to evolve a broad over-arching national legal framework of general principles on water to lead the way for essential legislation on water governance in every state...," the draft said.