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Updated: Dec 15, 2019 03:44 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that much was left to be done regarding the conservation of the Ganga even as the Namami Gange project for it has so far given some encouraging results. He added that the results included zero waste creation by paper mills and a reduction in pollution from tanneries on the banks of the river.

Modi emphasised on the need for greater awareness regarding the project and added that the public participation was a must for a clean Ganga. “Efficiency of district Ganga committees should be improved in all the districts for effective implementation of the project,” he said as he reviewed the progress of works under the Namami Gange project here.

Modi said that cleaning of the Ganga was long pending and the Namami Gange was brought in as a comprehensive initiative for it.

He referred to the need for building a sustainable development model and added that farmers should be encouraged to engage in sustainable farming practices, including zero budget farming, planting fruit trees and setting up of nurseries on the banks of the Ganga.

Modi said that priority should be given to women self-help groups and former servicemen for such programmes. “In addition, infrastructure for water sports should also be created with camp sites and tracks for cycling and walking...”

He added that this would help in tapping into the hybrid tourism potential of the river basin area for both religious and adventure tourism. “The income generated from eco-tourism, Ganga wildlife conservation, and cruise tourism would help generate sustainable income for cleaning the Ganga.” Modi said that all the districts along the Ganga should be made the focus areas for monitoring efforts under Namami Gange project. He added that the National Council for Ganga was responsible for supervising pollution prevention and rejuvenation of the Ganga and its tributaries.

Modi, who later visited Atal Ghat at the Ganga Barrage and went on a boat ride, said that the conversation project should be a shining example of cooperative federalism.

He also chaired the first-ever meeting of the National Council for Ganga at Kanpur’s CS Azad University for Agriculture and Technology. Modi sought a holistic thought process for a sustainable development model and stressed on focusing on economic activities related to the Ganga.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who was among those who attended the meeting, urged Modi to link the conservation of Ganga tributaries to the Namami Gange project. He called solid waste management a challenge and added that the compost being prepared from the municipal waste was not good for agriculture. “In this scenario, there was a need to move to better technologies for processing the disposal of solid waste management adopted by many countries.”

Adityanath praised Modi and his initiative of Namami Gange to clean and conserve the river. He added that the Uttar Pradesh government has the biggest responsibility in the successful implementation of the Namami Gange project. “The [Uttar Pradesh] government is executing all the plans with full commitment.”

He said that for the first time the 240 million devotees at the Prayagraj Kumbh had clean, clear and pure water in the Ganga because of their unceasing efforts.