Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of
the National Ganga Council in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (on Dec 14, 2019).
The Council has been given overall responsibility for
superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin,
including Ganga and its tributaries.
The first meeting of the Council was aimed at reinforcing the
importance of a ‘Ganga-centric’ approach in all departments of the concerned
states as well as relevant Central Ministries.
Prime Minister, while reviewing the progress of work done and
deliberating on various aspects of cleaning river Ganga with a focus on
‘swachhta’, ‘aviralta’ and ‘nirmalta’. He observed that Maa Ganga is the
holiest river on the sub-continent and its rejuvenation should embody a shining
example of cooperative federalism. Prime Minister said that rejuvenation of
Ganga has been a long pending challenge for the country. He noted that a lot
had been accomplished since the Government took up ‘Namami Gange’ in 2014 as a
comprehensive initiative integrating various government efforts and activities
with the aim of pollution abatement, conservation and rejuvenation of Ganga,
notable achievements being zero waste creation by paper mills and reduction in
pollution from tanneries; but much more needs to be done.
