Namami Gange Programme is an integrated river management initiative, approved as a Major Programme by the Union Government of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in June 2014 with a budget of ₹22,500 million from 2023–26 to address pollution, conservation, and rejuvenation of the National River Ganga. It aims to engage with the community and connect various interest groups including scientists, technology companies, investors, and community members. NMCG ( National Mission For Clean Ganga) has declared Chacha Chaudhary, a well-known Indian comic book character, as the

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

of the Namami Gange Programme, according to a statement issued by the

Ministry of Jal Shakti The Ministry of Jal Shakti () is a ministry under the Government of India which was formed in May 2019 under the second Modi ministry. This was formed by merging of two ministries; ''the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga R ...

. Under the Namami Gange Programme, all drains falling into the Saryu River in

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

are intercepted and wastewater is being transported to a sewage treatment plant. The research division of Namami Gange is led by CGanga, established under

IIT Kanpur The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT- Kanpur or IIT-K) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), it was declared an Institute of National Importance by th ...

. A Clean Ganga roadshow, inaugurated on the sidelines of COP26 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, contributed to the formation of four chapters in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, the

Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...

, and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to connect various interest groups with the Namami Gange Programme. Over 30,000 seeds of economically important fish species, which are declining in the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

, such as

Catla Catla (''Labeo catla''; ) also known as the major South Asian carp, is an economically important South Asian freshwater fish in the carp family Cyprinidae. It is native to rivers and lakes in northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakis ...

, Rohu, and Mrigal fishes, were released at the confluence of the Ganges and the

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

in Prayagraj Sangam. Data from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) indicates that out of 341 projects, 147 (43%) have been completed, with a majority of these projects related to sewage infrastructure. 61 out of 157 sewage projects (39%) have been completed. During the flag-off of the MV Ganga Vilas cruise, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

stated, “Ganga ji is not just a river, and we are taking a twin approach through Namami Gange and Arth Ganga to serve this important water resource.” The efforts towards conservation of the Ganges River and restoration of its ecology have been recognized by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, which included the National Mission for Clean Ganga, led by the Indian government, in the world's several global campaigns recognized for contributions to ecological restoration.

References

{{reflist Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage Ministry of Water Resources (India)