During the 46th meeting of the executive committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the Centre approved projects worth nearly Rs 2,700 crore for the rejuvenation of the Ganga river and its tributaries.
Twelve of the projects approved are for the development of sewerage infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
1. Three projects were approved for Uttar Pradesh, of which one pertains to the development of sewerage infrastructure in Prayagraj costing Rs. 475.19 crore.
2. In Bihar, one project each for Daudnagar and Motihari towns were approved at estimated costs of Rs. 42.25 and 149.15 crore respectively.
3. In West Bengal, rejuvenation of Adi Ganga river was approved at an estimated cost of Rs 653.67 crore.
4. For Jharkhand, the Centre approved a project which includes construction of five sewage treatment plants with a collective capacity to treat 192 million litres of waste per day, interception, diversion and other works at an estimated cost of Rs 808.33 crore in Dhanbad town.
The project approved for Jharkhand aims to reduce pollution in the Damodar River, an important tributary of the Ganga, and to tap all drains that flow into the Damodar River, indirectly polluting the Ganga. The Centre has approved all projects proposed to reduce pollution in the Damodar River in Jharkhand.
5. Afforestation programmes in Uttarakhand and Bihar for the fiscal year 2022-23 have also been approved at a cost of Rs. 42.80 crore, with the goal of creating an enabling environment for climate-resilient and sustainable ecosystem management through community participation.
Another project, titled scientific exploration of floral diversity near the Ganga river banks for ethnobotanical purposes, as well as their conservation and economic development of the region through skill development programmes,’ has been approved for all five states.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with the Patanjali Research Institute (PRI) and the Patanjali Organic Research Institute (PORI), both located in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
The project has three components:-
• Plant Biodiversity Exploration- Floral diversity, ethnobotanical, medicinal aspect and their phytochemical profiling for commercial valuation
• Training and Skill Development- Involving stakeholders such as farmers, traditional healing practitioners, etc
• Advanced Scientific Research & Experimentation-Soil and water quality, their impact on floral phytochemical, soil microbe interaction and its effect, medicinal plant
varieties and exploration of medicinal properties etc.
