In the heart of New Delhi, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti inked a pact on Wednesday with a dozen technical education institutions for the meticulous management of six rivers, ushering in a new era of hydrological collaboration.
The agreement, a harmonious marriage between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and academic bastions operating under the National River Conservation Plan, delineates a strategic initiative. The mantle of responsibility for research, vigilant monitoring, and the acquisition of esoteric technical knowledge essential for the condition assessment and management plan in the basin governance of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Narmada, and Periyar has been entrusted to a consortium comprising 12 distinguished institutions, including various IITs, NITs, and NEERI.
G. Ashok Kumar, the luminary Project Director representing NRCD, and the sagacious Directors of the consortium institutes, including the esteemed IIT Kanpur, were the signatories of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). The signing ceremony unfolded in the august auditorium of Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in Delhi, graced by the presence of Directors from all participating institutions and dignitaries from the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Commending the commendable endeavors of cGanga (Center for Ganga Basin Management and Studies), operating under the aegis of IIT Kanpur, Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat extolled its role in establishing novel centers through interlinking with academic institutions for the effective basin management of six rivers.
Shekhawat articulated, “Just as cGanga has contributed to fortifying the technical facets of basin management for the Ganga river, it is sanguine that these academic institutions will fortify the technical underpinning of basin management across the eastern, western, central, and southern rivers.”
During his address, the minister elucidated that previous endeavors to purify the Ganga were eclipsed, but transformative results emerged when it metamorphosed into a mission, harmonizing academic sagacity with administrative acumen. The meticulous planning and diligent execution culminated in UNESCO recognizing the Namami Gange Mission among the world’s top ten conservation and revitalization campaigns.
In a strategic move to transmute river conservation into a grassroots movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi intricately linked it to livelihood, laying down the tenets of Arth Ganga. His visionary initiative birthed a knowledge-centric river conservation and revitalization scheme. This paradigm shift catalyzed a surge in research and scientific documentation in the realm of river science, ushering in another pivotal pillar known as Gyan Ganga to fortify this ongoing campaign, as articulated by the ministry.