Lok Sabha Question No. 5466 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-03
Subject: Namami Gange Programme
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Ramashankar  Vidharthi Rajbhar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5466

ANSWERED ON 03.04.2025

## NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME

## †5466.  SHRI RAMASHANKAR RAJBHAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) the current status of the Namami Gange programme;
- (b) whether the cleanliness level of the Ganga River has been improved under the said programme and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government to modernize irrigation systems and increase water use efficiency in the country;
- (d) whether the Government is preparing any special plans for the areas that frequently face droughts or floods and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes any plan for the rejuvenation of other rivers on the lines of the Ganga and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) The Government of India (GoI) launched the Namami Gange Programme (NGP) in 2014-15 for the rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries for five years, up to March 2021 and has been further extended to March 2026. Under the Programme, as of January 2025, a total of 492 projects have been sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹ 40,121.48 crore, out of which 307 projects have been completed and made operational.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has carried out water quality monitoring of river Ganga. The Polluted River Stretches (PRSs) on river Ganga based on the assessment carried out in 2015 by CPCB are as under:

- a.  In Uttrakhand, Haridwar to Sultanpur- Priority Class V
- b.  In Uttar Pradesh, Kannauj to Varanasi - Priority Class III
- c.  In Bihar, Buxar to Bhagalpur - Priority Class II
- d.  In West Bengal, Triveni to Diamond Harbour - Priority Class V

As  per  the  assessment  carried  out  by  the  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  2022  (2019 &2021 data), the water quality of the river Ganga has improved significantly. The Polluted River Stretches (PRS) on river Ganga are as under:

- a.  Uttarakhand does not fall under the polluted stretch;
- b.  In Uttar Pradesh, Farrukhabad to Allahabad & Mirzapur to Ghazipur in - Priority Class V;
- c.  In Bihar, along Buxar, Patna, Fatwah and Bhagalpur - Priority Class IV;
- d.  Jharkhand does not fall under the polluted stretch;
- e.  In West Bengal, Behrampur to Haldia - Priority Class IV.

Further, the value of Dissolved Oxygen, which is an indicator of river health, has been found to be within  acceptable  limits  of  notified  primary  bathing  water  quality  criteria  and  satisfactory  to  support  the ecosystem of the river for almost the entire stretch of river Ganga.

(c) In  order  to  supplement  the  efforts  of  the  State  Governments,  Government  of  India  has  taken  many important initiatives for widespread promotion of technological advancements in irrigation.

Technological interventions  and  innovative  measures  such  as  GIS/  Satellite-based  monitoring,  Management Information Systems (MIS), piped irrigation networks, SCADA based water distribution, micro irrigation etc. have significantly enhanced the outcome and implementation of irrigation projects.

Department  of  Agriculture  &  Farmers  Welfare  (DA&FW)  is  implementing  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) in the country from 2015-16. PDMC focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation namely Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation Systems. From the year 2015-16 to 2021-22, the PDMC was implemented as a component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). From the year 2022-23, the PDMC is being implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

-  The  Micro  Irrigation  helps  in  water  saving  as  well  as  reduced  fertilizer  usage  through fertigation, labour expenses, other input costs and overall income enhancement of farmers.
-  The Government provides financial assistance @ 55% for small and marginal farmers and @ 45% for other farmers for installation of Drip and Sprinkler systems under the PDMC.
-  The  Assistance  for  installation  of  Micro  Irrigation  systems  is  limited  to  5  hectares  per beneficiary.

(d) 99 projects and 7 phases (Total- 106) have been identified under PMKSY-AIBP. After approval for the continuation of PMKSY for 2021-26, further four projects benefitting drought-prone area are included under PMKSY-AIBP.

A Special Package for Maharashtra has been approved in July 2018 for providing central assistance to complete  83  Surface  Minor  Irrigation  (SMI)  projects  and  8  Major  /  Medium  Irrigation  Projects  in  drought prone districts in Vidarbha and Marathwada and rest of Maharashtra.

In addition, to address the issue of development of irrigation in water scarce drought prone areas and flood prone areas in India, special provisions have been made in criteria for selection of projects and central funding ratio under PMKSY-AIBP. If a project has more than 50% command in drought prone or flood prone area,  50%  advance  stage  criteria  has  been  relaxed  and  the  project  can  be  included  since  beginning  of  the construction with enhance funding ratio of 60 (Centre): 40 (State) in the proportion of command area falling in drought/flood prone area.

Flood  management  and  anti-erosion  schemes  are  formulated  and  implemented  by  concerned  State Governments as per their priority. The Union Government supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical guidance and also promotional financial assistance for the management of floods in critical areas.

To strengthen the structural measures of flood management, Ministry had implemented during XI & XII Plan Flood Management Programme (FMP) for providing Central Assistance to States for works related to river management, flood control, anti-erosion, drainage development, anti-sea erosion, etc. which subsequently continued  as  a  component  of  "Flood  Management  and  Border  Areas  Programme"  (FMBAP)  for  the  period from 2017-18 to 2020-21 and further extended up to March, 2026.

(e) Cleaning/rejuvenation of rivers is an ongoing activity. It is the primary responsibility of States/Union Territories (UTs) and Urban Local Bodies to ensure the required treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to the prescribed norms before discharging into the rivers and other water bodies. The Government of India has been supplementing the efforts of the States/UTs by providing financial and technical assistance for abatement of  pollution  in  rivers/tributaries  in  Ganga  basin  through  the  Central  Sector  Scheme  of  Namami  Gange programme and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation Plan for other rivers.

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