UK-based Indian businessmen pledge support for ‘Namami Gange’ project

NewsBharati    01-Dec-2017
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London, Dec 1: Responding to Union Surface Transport, Shipping and Clean Ganga Mission Minister Nitin Gadkari, the UK-based Indian business leaders pledged the support worth Rs 500 crore for Ganga Mission.

According to PTI the prominent UK-based Indian businessmen included Anil Agrawal, the Hindujas and Prakash Lohia and Ravi Malhotra among others.

Nitin Gadkari has sought help from the Indian diaspora in accomplishing the Gang cleaning mission.

Gadkari has started an international trip to draw investment and technology sharing into the government’s ‘Clean Ganga Mission’ in London this week.


 

Gadkari said that he knew how to accomplish this task. The ambitious program of cleaning the river Ganga is time consuming project but Gadkari insisted that doing it as an integrated conservation would ensure its success. He said he was being “cautious” in his assessment that in two years there would be a considerable reduction in carbon dioxide and nitrogen dioxide levels.


The government is keen to enlist private sector partners in the four-phase project. During his visit, Gadkari held productive talks with a number of Indian-origin businessmen in London, who had pledged considerable financial support for the initiative. While Anil Agarwal had made a commitment towards the development of the Patna riverfront, Forsight’s Ravi Malhotra will take up development at Kanpur, the Hindujas will lead development of the ghats and other amenities at Haridwar and Prakash Lohia of Indorama will take on Ganga Sagar in Kolkata.

“We wholeheartedly appeal to all Indian companies, NRIs and the diaspora to participate in the Namami Gange,” Gadkari said.

During the trip, on which he is accompanied by U.P. Singh, Director-General of the National Mission for the Clean Ganga, Gadkari also signed memoranda of understanding with five British companies for technology sharing and investment, including Celtic Renewables, a Scottish biofuel company, Lyndon Water, a water treatment firm, Mebifarm, NVH Technologies and Arkatap.

Nitin Gadkari Namami Gange UK Visit Fund support