Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs the first National Ganga Council meeting in Kanpur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh.Taking to Twitter on December 14, the Prime Minister called the meeting extremely fruitful and wrote about how the ‘Ganga-centric’ approach is ensuring positive results.

The Prime Minister also wrote about how Ganga rejuvenation has been a challenge for decades and how the government has taken up the responsibility of the challenge on 'mission mode.' Adding to his statement he said, "I am also confident the steps taken to clean the Ganga will manifest the spirit of cooperative federalism, with all concerned states playing a positive and active role." 

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Describing the ‘Namami Gange’ initiative to embody the spirit of ‘Arth Ganga’, Prime Minister also wrote about the focus of the mission to be on sustainable development and economic activity. 

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About the National Ganga Council

The Ganga Council has been given overall responsibility for the superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin, including Ganga and its tributaries. The first meeting of the Council attended by PM Modi aimed at reinforcing the importance of a ‘Ganga-centric’ approach in all departments of the concerned states as well as relevant Central Ministries.

The Central Government has set up the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF) to facilitate contributions from individuals, NRIs, corporate entities for funding Ganga rejuvenation projects. Honourable Prime Minister has personally donated Rs.16.53 crores to CGF, from the amount realized from the auction of the gifts he received since 2014 and the prize money of the Seoul Peace prize.

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