Cabinet approves the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016
The Union Cabinet under has approved the
River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016.
Key facts:
- The Order lays down a new
institutional structure for policy and implementation in fast track manner
and empowers National Mission for Clean Ganga to discharge its functions
in an independent and accountable manner.
- It has also been decided to grant
a Mission status to the Authority with corresponding powers under
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to take cognizance of the provision of
the said Act and follow up thereon.
- Similarly, there is adequate
delegation of financial and administrative powers which will distinctly
establish NMCG as both responsibility and accountability centre and
effectively accelerate the process of project implementation for Ganga
Rejuvenation.
Briefly, the Order envisages:
- Creation of the National Council
for River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management), as an Authority
under the Chairperson of Hon’ble Prime Minister, in place of the existing
NGRBA for overall responsibility for superintendence of pollution
prevention and rejuvenation of river Ganga Basin.
- Setting up of an Empowered Task
Force chaired by Hon’ble Minister of Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation to ensure that the Ministries, Departments and
State Governments concerned have an action plan with specific activities,
milestones, and timeliness for achievement of the objective of
rejuvenation and protection of River Ganga and a mechanism for monitoring
implementation of its action plans.
- Declaration of National Mission
for Clean Ganga (NMCG) as an Authority with powers to issue directions and
also to exercise the powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
to enable it to carry out efficiently its mandate. The NMCG will have a
two-tier management structure with a Governing Council (GC), to be chaired
by DG, NMCG. Below the GC, there will be an Executive Committee (EC)
constituted out of the GC, to be chaired by the DG, NMCG.
- NMCG will comply with the
decisions and directions of the National Ganga Council and implement the
Ganga Basin Management Plan approved by it; co-ordinate and carry out all
activities necessary for rejuvenation and protection of River Ganga and
its tributaries.
- At the State level, it is proposed
to create the State Ganga Committees in each of the defined States as
Authority, to function as Authorities in respect of each State and perform
the superintendence, direction and control over the District Ganga Protection
Committees under their jurisdiction.
- Similarly, the District Ganga
Committees in each of the Ganga Bank Districts will carry out the assigned
tasks as an Authority at the district level, to take cognizance of local
threats and needs of river Ganga and conceptualise such measures as
necessary to ensure overall quality of water in river Ganga and monitor
various projects being implemented.
Background:
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I was
launched in 1985 and later GAP Phase-II was initiated in 1993 with the
objective of improving the water quality of river Ganga and was later expanded
to include some of its tributaries also.
In May, 2015, the Government approved the
Namami Gange programme as a comprehensive mechanism to take up initiatives for
rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries as a Central Sector Scheme with
hundred per cent funding by the Union Government.
