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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote to Janata Dal United MP Sanjay Jha assuring him that Bihar's interests would be factored in before any decision on renewing the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty, which is set to expire on 31 December 2026. Mr Jha, a former Bihar Water Resources Minister, had argued that the treaty had negatively impacted the state's water availability for drinking, irrigation and industry over three decades and had called on the government to let it lapse. Mr Jaishankar said inter-ministerial consultations involving Bihar's representatives had already been held under the Jal Shakti Ministry and that the government would take an appropriate decision keeping these factors in focus. Renewal of the treaty is one of the major items on the India-Bangladesh diplomatic calendar this year, though top level political contact between the two countries has been limited recently.