The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) plays a vital role in financing, planning, implementing, monitoring, and coordinating efforts for the Ganges River, functioning under India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti. The organization is dedicated to safeguarding the drainage basin that supplies water to the Ganges, protecting it from pollution and excessive use. In July 2014, the NGRBA was shifted from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, which was formerly known as the Ministry of Water Resources (India).
Establishment
The Government of India established this on February 20, 2009, under Section 3(3) of the Environment Protection Act of 1986, which also designated the Ganges as India’s “National River.”
Overview
The Prime Minister serves as the chair of the Authority, which also includes cabinet ministers from various ministries that have a direct interest in the Ganges, along with the chief ministers of the states that the river flows through. These chief ministers represent states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, among others. The inaugural meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority took place on October 5, 2009. In the 2010 Union budget of India, the funding for the National Ganga River Basin Authority was increased to ₹500 crore (5 billion).
Members of the NGRBA
There are total of 23 members of the NGRBA. 14 out of 23 come from the government sectors whereas the remaining 9 come from the NGO sector.
Government members of the Committee
Members belonging to the government sector are as follows:
- Prime Minister of India, chair
- Minister of Environment and Forests (Union Minister)
- Minister of Finance
- Minister of Urban Development
- Minister of Water Resources
- Minister of Power
- Minister of Sciences and Technology
- Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
- Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
- Chief Minister of Bihar
- Chief Minister of Jharkhand
- Chief Minister of West Bengal
- Ministry of Environment and Forests (state minister)
- Ministry of Environment and Forests, secretary
Expert members of the committee
Members belonging to the NGO sector are as follows:[4]
- Justice(Retd.) Giridhar Malviya, Patron, Ganga Mahasabha, Varanasi.
- Shri Mohan Singh Rawat Gaonwasi, Ex. Minister Uttarakhand.
- Shri M.A. Chitle, Maharashtra.
- Dr. Bhure lal, IAS (Retd.), Delhi
- Shri N.Vittal, Chennai