Ganga Aamantran Abhiyan, a rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga River from Devprayag to Ganga Sagar, was organised between 10th October 2019 to 12th November 2019. The expedition encompassed five Ganga basin States, i.e. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal with stops at 34 locations including Rishikesh, Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Sonepur and Kolkata. The expedition was undertaken through an adventure sporting activity to connect people to the river and to spread the message of river rejuvenation & water conservation on a massive scale.
During the expedition, public awareness campaigns were organised and interactions with people, in particular, youth and students of the village/city made on the various locations to spread the message of river conservation.
With the aim to integrate people’s participation and economic development for Ganga rejuvenation with various stakeholders who have a key role to play in this initiative including Agriculture, Power, Tourism, Energy, Water, AYUSH, Environment, Forest & Climate Change etc., NMCG is working in an integrated manner with concerned Ministries/Departments and Government agencies to boost economic activities and tourism in the river Ganga.
Documentation of intangible cultural heritage in the Ganga basin is also being carried out by INTACH, which includes inventorization of heritage culture, spirituality, yoga/ayurveda/wellness, eco-tourism, cuisine, fairs & festivals, interpretation/ heritage walks as a part of the project.
Namami Gange Programme is conceptualised not only as a sewerage infrastructure development programme but also includes components of Communication and Public Outreach which are important for its sustainability. For this purpose, dedicated voluntary groups like Ganga Vichar Manch, Ganga Doots, Ganga Prahari, Ganga Mitra including NCC, NSS, NYKS etc. at the grassroot level have been formed and their resources are channelized for engagement of the community and public at large.
Under the Namami Gange Programme, number of public campaigns and events are organised like Swachhta Pakhwada, Swachhta Hi Sewa, Ganga Yatra, Rafting Expedition, Ganga Utsav, Plantation Drives, Ganga Run etc.
Mass Congregation of devotees on the occasion of Kumbh Mela, Magh Mela & Chhath Pooja etc. gives an opportunity to demonstrate and describe activities being undertaken in the project for awareness generation and public participation.
Online Quiz competition is also organised to enhance the knowledge and involvement of the youth and students regarding Ganga and its ecosystem.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Rattan Lal Kataria in Lok Sabha today.
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