National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

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    • Recently, the National Ganga Council informed that the Union government has spent more than Rs 13,000 crore on cleaning the Ganga since 2014.
      • The council met after three years. It is chaired by the Prime Minister.

    More about the news 

    • Namami Gange Programme: 
      • The Centre had launched the Namami Gange Programme in 2014 with a total budgetary outlay of Rs.20,000 crore.
      • NMCG is responsible for implementation of the government’s ambitious Namami Gange programme.
    • State allocation:
      • Uttar Pradesh received the largest outlay among states.
        • About 1,100 km of the Ganga’s 2,525-km length falls in Uttar Pradesh.
      • Uttar Pradesh was followed by Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi and Uttarakhand. 
      • The other states which received funds were Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. 

    Significance of Namami Gange programme

    • Creating Sewage Treatment Capacity: 48 sewage management projects are under implementation and 98 sewage projects have been completed in the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
    • Creating River-Front Development: 68 Ghats/Crematoria projects for construction, modernization, and renovation of 267 Ghats/Crematoria and Kunds/Ponds have been initiated.
    • River Surface Cleaning: River Surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal are afoot and pushed into service at 11 locations.
    • Biodiversity Conservation: One of NMCG’s long-term visions for Ganga rejuvenation is to restore viable populations of all endemic and endangered biodiversity of the river, so that they occupy their full historical range and fulfil their role in maintaining the integrity of the Ganga River ecosystems.
    • Afforestation: One of the major components of Ganga rejuvenation is ‘forestry interventions’ to enhance the productivity and diversity of the forests in head water areas and all along the river and its tributaries.
    • Public Awareness: A series of activities such as events, workshops, seminars and conferences and numerous activities are organised to make a strong pitch for public outreach and community participation in the programme.
    • Industrial Effluent Monitoring: To regulate the number of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs).
    • Ganga Gram: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation identified 1674 Gram Panchayats situated on the bank of River Ganga in 5 States (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal). 

    National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

    • It was registered as a society in 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
    • It acted as the implementation arm of 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 National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga which is referred as National Ganga Council.
    • Aim & Objective of NMCG 
      • To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral coordination for comprehensive planning and management.
      • To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
    • The Act envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below:
      • National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of India.
      • Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation).
      • National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
      • State Ganga Committees.
      • District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states. 
    • NMCG has a two-tier management structure and comprises of:
      • Governing Council
      • Executive Committee
        • Both are headed by Director General, NMCG. 
        • The Executive Committee has been authorised to accord approval for all projects up to Rs.1000 crore.
        • State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) acts as the implementing arm of State Ganga Committees.

    Source: IE

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