Business leaders pledge support of Rs 500 Cr for ‘Namami Gange Mission’

Mumbai, December 8: In a bid to rejuvenate the holy River Ganga, captains of Indian trade and industry have committed a support of nearly Rs 500 crores for the development of amenities like ghats, river fronts, crematoria and parks along River Ganga as part of the Namami Gange Mission.

Speaking on the occasion Gadkari emphasised that cleaning the Ganga should become a peoples movement. He informed that a lot of private individuals from across the world have pledged support for cleaning Ganga and have donated generously. He also said that strict laws will be brought in to check pollution of the river.

The support from the business community in Mumbai follows closely after similar success in London last week where Indian corporates committed overwhelming support for Namami Gange Mission after an interaction with Gadkari at a road show organized by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

The Government is appealing to the business community to participate in the Namami Gange Mission to clean the river by funding projects of their choice. Private funding is being sought for projects worth over Rs 2500 crore for development of ghats, crematoria, waterbodies, parks, sanitation facilities, public amenities and river front.

The Government of India, through Namami Gange Programme announced in 2014, has given a much needed thrust to restoring the wholesomeness of the river by allocating resources of about Rs.20,000 crores and has adopted an integrated Ganga Rejuvenation approach addressing various aspects.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga ( NMCG) has sanctioned projects worth about Rs.17,000 crore for Sewerage Management, Industrial Effluents Managements, Biodiversity Conservation, Solid Waste Management, Afforestation, Rural Sanitation, River Front Management, Capacity Building, Development/ Rehabilitation’ of Ghats& Crematoria etc.

However, the task of rejuvenating river Ganga, associated with 43% of the country’s population and its critical religious, spiritual, cultural and historical significance, assumes a gigantic proportion and cannot be achieved by governmental efforts alone. It requires wholehearted involvement and support from all Indians, cutting across society, for whom Ganga is important not only as an unending source of nourishment, but as part and parcel of a rich and timeless culture and tradition.