Rs 20,000 crore has been wasted on the clean Ganga project. The river is still getting polluted with industrial waste and sewage water.

SACHIN PRATAP SINGH

22 JAN 2023

Namami Gange Mission

The Namami Gange Mission aims to protect, conserve and rejuvenate the Ganga River Basin. In 2015, the Cabinet approved the Mission for a period of five years (2015-2020) with a budget outlay of ` 20,000 crores. Subsequently, on 7th October 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (29 of 1986), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was notified as an authority under Environment Protection Act, which is also the nodal agency responsible for monitoring and implementing the Namami Gange Mission. The activities undertaken as part of the Mission rest upon four pillars –Nirmal Ganga (Unpolluted Flow), Aviral Flow (Continuous Flow), Jan Ganga (People-River Connect) and Gyan Ganga (Research and Knowledge Management). As of December 2021,

total of 363 projects worth ` 30,841.53 crores have been sanctioned under the mission.

In addition, the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF) was established in 2014 with the objective of contributing to the national effort of improving the cleanliness of river Ganga with the contributions received from the residents of the country, NRIs/ PIO, corporates and organizations. As of 31st December 2021.

total of ` 561.58 crore has been received under the CGF

Further, Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) along River Ganga have been inventoried. Since 2015, sector specific charters for implementation of cleaner technology, upgradation of treatment facility and adaptation of waste minimization practices have been implemented in the major industrial sectors like pulp & paper, distilleries, sugar and textile by involving different stakeholders. These actions have resulted in significant reduction in wastewater discharge and pollution load.

To ensure Aviral Flow (Continuous Flow) of the Ganga, a historical ecological flow notification mandating the minimum flow of river Ganga was released in 2016, recognizing the right of the river over its own water. Other steps in this direction include afforestation of 29,000 Ha; first of its kind river bio-diversity assessment for the main stem Ganga river covering over 2,200 km; identification of 279 wetlands for conservation; and preparation of integrated management plan for 118 wetlands. The Jan Ganga (People-River Connect) component acknowledges the critical importance of strengthening the people-river connection in achieving the mission objectives. Ganga Quest 2021 got an enthusiastic response of over 1 million participants from 113 countries. Ganga Utsav 2021 was celebrated for the first time as a river festival extending beyond Ganga basin cities. The River City Alliance was launched in November 2021, as a platform for river cities in India to ideate, discuss, and exchange information for the sustainable management of urban rivers. 6.39 Finally, under the Gyan Ganga (Research and Knowledge Management) component, the Ganga Knowledge Centre was set up to create a state-of-the-art center to support the NMCG and create a comprehensive knowledge base on Ganga. In addition, the Centre for Ganga Management & Study was set up at IIT Kanpur for long term basin studies and technology development. \

Rs 20,000 crore has been wasted on the clean Ganga project. The river is still getting polluted with industrial waste and sewage water. From four years there is no remarkable progress done in the project."

Source:-https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/eschapter/echap06.pdf