Process of Ganga rejuvenation continuous task: Jal Shakti Minister

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said the process of Ganga rejuvenation is a continuous task and emphasised on promoting public participation in the mission.

Speaking at the Ganga Utsav organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), he said the programme is an enabler for transforming 'Astha' (faith) to 'Kartavya' (duty) towards the river.

“Ganga rejuvenation is a continuous task, that is why we have to promote public participation. We have to create a sense of duty among people, it can be done only when we are able to make people realise what Ganga offers us,” he said.

He emphasised that festivals like Ganga Utsav are very important to encourage public participation. The Ganga Utsav was celebrated in various districts across the Ganga basin. In Saharanpur, runners from across the district participated in a marathon as part of the initiative.

NMCG director general Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said the festival will help in connecting people. To develop a new paradigm of planning for river cities, a joint project between NMCG and National Institute of Urban Affairs, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs was launched.

A first of its kind strategic framework for managing urban river stretches in the Ganga River Basin has been developed under the NMCG-NIUA project.

The framework titled the 'Urban River Management Plan', is a river centric planning framework, designed to help cities manage the rivers within their stretches using a systems approach. Shekhawat also launched the 'Ganga Aerial Movie' that offers an aerial view of the journey of the river from its origin to the end.

(Photo Credit: Twitter/gssjodhpur)