Previous Year Question

Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while Statement 3 is incorrect. The NGRBA was chaired by the Prime Minister of India, not by a Chief Minister on a rotational basis.

Establishment of NGRBA

• The Central Government established the National Ganga River Basin Authority through a notification dated 20 February 2009.

• It was constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

• It was designed as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga.

• Its purpose was to integrate the pollution-abatement and conservation efforts of the Central and State Governments.

• The Ganga had been declared the National River of India in 2008.

Statement 1: Correct

The river basin was adopted as the unit of planning and management.

• Before NGRBA, Ganga conservation efforts were often focused on individual towns and isolated pollution sources.

• NGRBA treated the entire Ganga and its catchment as one integrated geographical and ecological unit.

• A river-basin approach includes the main river, its tributaries, groundwater, floodplains, wetlands and human activities.

• Its purpose was to move beyond sewage treatment alone towards integrated management of the entire river system.

Therefore, Statement 1 is correct.

Statement 2: Correct

NGRBA spearheaded river-conservation efforts at the national level.

Its principal functions included:

• Preparation of a Ganga River Basin Management Plan.

• Coordination of programmes for the prevention, control and abatement of pollution.

• Planning and financing sewage-treatment infrastructure.

• Taking measures to maintain minimum environmental flows.

• Monitoring industrial and municipal pollution.

• Protecting floodplains, aquatic organisms and river ecology.

• Promoting water conservation, recycling, reuse and rainwater harvesting.

• Coordinating the activities of the Union Government, States, urban local bodies and other institutions.

Implementation was primarily to be undertaken by State governments and urban local bodies.

Therefore, Statement 2 is correct.

Statement 3: Incorrect

A Chief Minister did not become the Chairman of NGRBA on a rotational basis.

• The NGRBA was chaired by the Prime Minister of India.

• The Chief Ministers of the main-stem Ganga States—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal—were members.

• Union Ministers from the concerned ministries were also members.

• The Authority could co-opt Chief Ministers from States containing major tributaries and experts in relevant fields.

• The Chief Ministers were members, not rotational chairpersons.

Therefore, Statement 3 is incorrect.

Relationship with NMCG

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was established in 2011 as the implementation arm of the NGRBA.

• It was responsible for programme implementation, project execution and coordination with the States.

Present institutional position

• This question relates to the NGRBA framework existing at the time of the 2016 examination.

• In 2016, the National Ganga Council replaced the NGRBA.

• Its full name is the National Council for River Ganga Rejuvenation, Protection and Management.

• The National Ganga Council is also chaired by the Prime Minister.

• NMCG was granted stronger administrative, financial and regulatory powers under the Environment (Protection) Act.