CLEAN GANGA’ CHANGES COURSE TO CONSERVATION, TOURISM, LIVELIHOOD

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• Myriad objectives: Since 2014, when the cleaning of the Ganga was launched as a marquee government programme, close to ₹30,000 crore had been sanctioned for various projects.PTI
• Tourism Ministry to prepare comprehensive plan for developing tourism circuits along the Ganga in line with Arth Ganga, organic farming and cultural activities; exhibitions and fairs have been planned in 75 towns along the main stem of the river
• Marking a shift in emphasis, the Union government’s flagship NamamiGange programme, conceived to improve the sanitation levels in the Ganga, is now geared towards conservation, tourism and providing livelihoods.
• At a meeting on December 8 of the top body tasked with coordinating Namami Ganga activities and chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the thrust of decisions focused on having the Tourism Ministry develop a “comprehensive plan” for developing tourism circuits along the Ganga in line with Arth Ganga, organic farming and cultural activities.
• Arth Ganga, or harnessing economic potential from the Ganga, follows from a directive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2019, after chairing a similar meeting of the Ganga taskforce.
• Proceedings of the meeting suggest that along with developing “tourism circuits”, the Ministry was planning exhibitions and fairs in 75 towns along the main stem of the river; the Agriculture Ministry was taking steps to build organic farming and natural farming corridors; the Urban Affairs Ministry was focused on mapping drains and solid waste management, and the Environment Ministry was scaling up afforestation and conservation efforts to protect the Gangetic river dolphin.
• Asok Kumar, Director, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), said in a statement that in the past six months, several workshops and visits were organised for farmers who were being “nudged and sensitised” to shift to “natural farming”.
• In States, the focus would be expeditiously completing projects and every Ganga district was expected to develop a scientific plan and health card for at least 10 wetlands and adopt policies for reuse of treated water and other by-products.
• Since 2014, when the cleaning of the Ganga was launched as a marquee government programme, close to ₹30,000 crore had been sanctioned for various projects, including building and improving sewers and river rejuvenation activities.
• Updated estimates from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) suggest that of 408 projects sanctioned under the programme, 228 have been completed, 132 are “in progress”, and the rest in various stages of tendering.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB