World Bank assistance sought for Ganga clean-up project
25 Nov 2009
India has started preliminary consultations with the World Bank for a $2.96 billion financial support for the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), which was set up for conservation of the river.
A proposal for availing project preparation facility (PPF) assistance of $2.96 million has been forwarded to the World Bank. PPF would be utilised for preparation of the detailed project report, minister of state for environment and forests (independent charge) Jairam Ramesh informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply today.
The Ganga conservation project is estimated to involve total investments to the tune of Rs15,000 crore over the next 10 years.
The money will be used to create the necessary treatment and sewerage infrastructure. The requisite resources would be shared between the centre and the states suitably after consultations with the Planning Commission.
The first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), held on 5 October 2009 under the chairmanship of the prime minister, had resolved that the 'Mission Clean Ganga' will ensure that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flows into Ganga by the year 2020.
Accordingly, state governments will formulate detailed project reports at the critical pollution hotspots and major towns. The Central Government has allocated Rs250 crore in the budget of the year 2009-10 for NGRBA.
