National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

Dec. 10, 2023

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) recently signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), which represents 124 cities/towns situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, the United States.

About National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):

It is a registered society under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in the river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga.
It acted as the implementation arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986.
NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from 2016, consequent to the constitution of the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred to as National Ganga Council).
The aims and objectives of NMCG is to accomplish the mandate of the NGRBA:
To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management and
To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
Structure:
NMCG has a two-tier management structure that comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee. Both of them are headed by the Director General, NMCG.
The Executive Committee has been authorized to accord approval for all projects up to Rs. 1000 crores.
Similar to the structure at the national level, State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) act as the implementing arm of State Ganga Committees.
The Director General (DG) of NMCG is an Additional Secretary in the Government of India.