Page 32 - NIS English November 1-15

Namami Gange
Rejuvenating Ganga

LARGEST INTEGRATED

RIVER CONSERVATION MISSION

Under the Namami Gange Mission, projects worth over Rs 20,000 Crore are

either in progress or have been completed to rejuvenate the Ganga River

anga River has been the its water less than holy. To reju-
economic, religious and venate and restore Ganga River
Gspiritual lifeline of Indians to its past glory and purity, the
Now the Namami Gange quenching their thirst, watering Government launched Namami
Abhiyan is being taken to their fields and it is believed Gange Programme in 2014 as
a new level. Apart from the that at the end of their journey the ‘Flagship Programme’. The
cleanliness of the Ganges, in this world providing a smooth programme comprised effec-
now there is a focus on passage to the next. Howev- tive abatement of pollution, and
the development of the er, rapid urbanisation along its conservation and rejuvenation
economy and environment banks and the accompanying of River Ganga.
of the entire area industrialisation had rendered When Prime Minister Naren-
adjacent to the Ganges. A
comprehensive plan has DESPITE PLANNING AND BUDGETS, GANGA
been formulated by the The first major mission to clean after, the National Ganga River
government to provide up Ganga River was “Ganga Basin Authority was constituted.
benefits of organic farming Action Plan” launched by the All these steps were aimed at
and Ayurvedic plant farming then Prime Minister Rajiv cleaning Ganga and to stop the
to the farmers of all states Gandhi in 1986. The project was inflow of polluted water in the
estimated to cost Rs 462 Crore. river with the help of sewage
Yet Ganga River remained as treatment plants. However, there
polluted as before, if not more. was no change in the condition.
In 2008, when Manmohan Singh In 2014, when Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister, Ganga Narendra Modi took over, he
said on September, 29, 2020 River was declared a 'National accorded prime importance
River' to achieve objectives of to cleaning up the Ganga after
the clean-up operation. Soon which the mission acquired

30 New India Samachar