NMCG Officials and Partners Come Together to Contribute to Clean Ganga Fund

 Topics covered:

1. Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
2. Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

NMCG Officials and Partners Come Together to Contribute to Clean Ganga Fund

The officials and partners of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) came together on one platform, to make personal donations to the Clean Ganga Fund on a voluntary basis.

About Clean Ganga Fund –

“Clean Ganga Fund (CGF)” is set up with voluntary contributions from residents of the country and Non-Resident Indian (NRIs) / Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and others.

• The Fund will have the objective of contributing to the national effort of cleaning of the river Ganga.
• Domestic donors to the Fund shall be eligible for tax benefits as applicable in the case of the Swachh Bharat Kosh.
• The Fund would be managed by a Trust to be headed by Finance Minister.
• The secretariat of the Trust will be set up in Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Mission Director, Clean Ganga.

Features of CGF:

• CGF will explore the possibility of setting up daughter funds in other jurisdictions/countries of high donor interest such as USA, UK, Singapore, UAE, etc. to enable tax benefits to donors in their respective jurisdictions.
• CGF will identify and fund specific projects which could be pilot projects, R&D projects, innovative projects or other focused projects.
• CGF will be subject to such audit as required by law as well as audit by any agency determined by Government.

The following broad activities will be financed from the Fund:

1. a) Activities outlined under the ‘Namami Gange’ programme for cleaning of river Ganga.
2. b) Control of non-point pollution from agricultural runoff, human defecation, cattle wallowing, etc.
3. c) Setting up of waste treatment and disposal plants along the river around the cities.
4. d) Conservation of the biotic diversity of the river.
5. e) Community based activities to reduce polluting human interface with the river.
6. f) Development of public amenities including activities such as Ghat redevelopment.
7. g) Research and Development projects and innovative projects for new technology and processes for cleaning the river.
8. h) Independent oversight through intensive monitoring and real time reporting.
9. i) Any other activity as approved by the Trust.

Background:

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) –

• It was registered as a society on 12^thAugust 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), constituted under the provisions of theEnvironment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986.
• NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council).
• The Act envisages five-tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below:

1. National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
2. Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
3. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
4. State Ganga Committees, and
5. District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.

Source: PIB