Filth Free Ganga Along 1,600 Villages within 6 months

Inspired by Prime minister Narendra Modi's  Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Filth Free Shimla, 1600 villages along the Ganga stretch will be made filth free by October, said Union Minister Uma Bharti. The government will implement the package in 1,600 village panchayats along the river banks within the six months and complete the first phase of Ganga cleaning by October this year, she said. The second phase would be attained in four years in which 6,000 villages will be taken up for the programme, the Water Resources Minister said. Uma Bharti was speaking on sidelines of 'Swachh Ganga- Gramin Sahbhagita' a national level consultation programme organized for village heads. This event had large number of people participation with around 1,200 panchayat heads attending the programme.

There are four things would should be taken in consideration:

• Where will sewage go?
• How to diverge drains flowing into the rivers?
• How to convert waste generating from the villages into fertilizers?
• How to generate employment by cultivating medicinal plants along the river? said Uma Bharti.

The water resources ministry also inked MoUs with HRD, Shipping, Rural Development, Sports, Tourism, Ayush and Youth and Affairs and sports ministries for carrying out various activities under the 'Namami Gange' programme. All institutes will join the mission and old water bodies located along the Ganga and Yamuna will be restored. Government is also planning to start organic farming along Ganga banks to generate jobs for local youth.

Uma Bharti also approached various celebrities and renowned personalities to be the part of the mission. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, Birender Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, Mahesh Sharma and Sanwar Lal Jat, Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, eco-activists Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal and Ayurveda exponent Acharya Balkrishna also attended the event.

This event is an another inspiration as well as create awareness about Swachh Bharat.