Ganga Gram Project launched aiming development of 4470 Ganga Grams

New Delhi, December 24: ‘Ganga Gram’ – a project for sanitation based integrated development is launched by The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS). This project aims development of all 4470 villages along the River Ganga.

This project was launched during at a multi-stakeholder sammelan held on Saturday. The occasion was attended by more than 1400 delegates including 500 village sarpanches from all five Ganga States (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal), State and District government officials, NMCG Members and Ganga Swachhta Manch volunteers.

Speaking on the occasion, Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Water Resources, Ganga Rejuvenation and River Development appealed to the village sarpanches to pledge unconditional support to making River Ganga and Ganga Grams ‘swachh’. Highlighting the various Government interventions towards making the Ganga ‘Nirmal’ Gadkari, announced that funds will be generated from NRIs to support the various Ganga projects.

Uma Bharti, Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, spoke on the occasion advising development take place only if adequate care and precaution is taken in the project to protect the environment of the Ganga. Highlighting the commitment of the Government towards the Ganga, she informed that Evaluation and Monitoring Systems and Process feature prominently in all Ganga rejuvenation projects. She highlighted that the Ganga Gram project depends upon the commitment and resolve of the people living on its banks.

Introducing the Ganga Gram Project, Parmeswaran Iyer, Secretary MDWS underlined that Ganga Gram vision is an integrated approach for holistic development of villages situated on the banks of River Ganga with active participation of the villagers. After achieving ODF target in Ganga Villages, implementation of solid and liquid waste management and other integrated activities are remaining tasks.

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation is the nodal agency for implementation of the Ganga Gram Project. Since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission in October 2014, the Ministry has constructed 5.72 crore toilets and has made 2.96 lakh villages, 262 districts, 6 States and 2 Union Territories, open defecation free. For the Ganga Gram Project the Ministry works in close coordination with NMCG.