Lok Sabha Question No. 1913 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-10
Subject: National Ganga River Basin Authority
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †1913

ANSWERED ON 10.12.2015

## NATIONAL GANGA RIVER BASIN AUTHORITY

## †1913.   SHRIMATI  MALA  RAJYA  LAXMI  SHAH

Will  the  Minister  of  WATER  RESOURCES,  RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND  GANGA REJAVENATION be pleased to state:

(a) the details of functions and duties assigned to National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) along with its composition and the date of establishment;

(b) the details of meetings held by NGRBA during the last two years and the current year including the outcome of the same by indicating the follow up action taken in the matter so far; and

(c) the details of the schemes formulated/proposed to be formulated to check the pollution caused by the cities and villages situated on the bank of river Ganga?

## ANSWER

## THE HON'BLE MINISTER FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION  (SUSHRI UMA BHARTI)

(a) The Central Government by a Notification dated 20.02.2009, has set up the 'National Ganga River  Basin  Authority'  (NGRBA)  as  an  empowered  planning,  financing,  monitoring  and coordinating  authority  for  the  Ganga  River,  in  exercise  of  the  powers  conferred  under  the Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  under  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forest  .  It  was transferred  under  Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  and  Ganga  Rejuvenation (MOWR, RD & GR) vide notification dated 29 th September 2014.

The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson of the Authority, and it has as its members, the Union Ministers concerned, and the Chief Ministers of the States through which Ganga flows, viz.,  Uttarakhand,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Jharkhand  and  West  Bengal,  among  others.  The Authority may co-opt up to ten members who are experts on the subject.

The  functions  of  the  Authority  include  all  measures  necessary  for  planning  and  execution  of programmes  for  abatement  of  pollution  and  conservation  of  the  river  Ganga  in  keeping  with sustainable development needs.

(b) During 2013-15, two meeting of NGRBA has taken place (4 th Meeting on 27.10.2014 and 5 th Meeting on 26.03.2015). The broad outcomes and details of follow up action are:

- i. Maintaining environmental flow
- ii. Identifying  Short  term  (3  years),  Medium  Term  (5  years)  and  long  term  (10  years) programme/activities
- iii. Improving Institutional mechanism  for expeditious implementation, Strengthen of NMCG and SPMG, PPP mode for executing projects and Establishment of Clean Ganga Fund

(c) The Government has launched Namami Gange programme for conservation of river Ganga and its tributaries under Ministry of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  and  Ganga Rejuvenation (MOWR,RD&GR). The primary focus of the program is on pollution abatement through  construction  of  Sewage  Treatment  Plants,  Common  Effluent  Treatment  Plants,  Ghat Development,  Solid  Waste  Management  and  other  activities  to  stop  pollutants  from  reaching river  Ganga.  Besides  this,  the  other  activities  like  Bio-diversity  conservation,  large  scale  tree plantation, making villages along river Ganga Open Defecation Free (ODF), research studies and public outreach programmes have also been envisaged.

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