New Delhi: The 12th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) on Ganga Rejuvenation was held in the presence of the Minister of Jal Shakti, C. R. Paatil who chaired the 12th meeting of the Empowered Task Force on Ganga Rejuvenation. The meeting discussed the progress of the Ganga river rejuvenation initiative and the way ahead, a PIB press release stated.
The Director General of the NMCG, Rajeev Kumar Mital, gave a detailed presentation on the various issues and briefed the Minister about the progress made since the last meeting. The Minister emphasized the need to preserve the sanctity of the sacred river and stressed the need for cooperation among all the stakeholders in the mission of cleaning and rejuvenating the river. He directed the state governments to complete the ongoing projects on time and expedite the submission of Detailed Project Reports for the polluted stretches.
He also directed that the state governments should focus on rural sanitation and ensure that all the villages are declared ODF plus status and get the required verification done. It was also decided to map all the Nullahs/drains flowing through the villages into the river and send a report to the NMCG.
The Minister also emphasized the need for reuse of treated water and the promotion of its usage as an important resource. He directed the Ministry of Power to ensure and promote the reuse of treated water in the sector. The economics of reuse should be relooked into considering the cost of using fresh water in the sector.
In the end, the meeting of the Executive Committee of the NMCG concluded with the adoption of a comprehensive action plan for the rejuvenation of the Ganga river.