Clean Ganga: Govt withdraws direct aid to polluting factories, but promises cheaper loans

New Delhi, June 9: Polluting industries along the banks of Ganga may not be given direct aid by the Central Government, but they would get indirect help in the form of cheap loans. The government is brooding "interest subvention" for loans taken for a better and cleaner technology.

The government, however, had approached the "Namami Gange" programme with an aim to aid the industries on the banks of the river directly (apart from other measures to clean the river), but is now in favour of the "polluter pays" principle.

The Modi government has cleared a budget of Rs 20,000 crore for the cleaning programme of Ganga. The government has also instructed the installation of treatment plants in eight cities-Allahabad, Hardwar, Patna, Kanpur and Varanasi, in the next three months.

[Read: Clean Ganga not possible without clean Yamuna: Bharti]

The industries, meanwhile, said that they are being exposed to unprecedented pollution standards for "zero liquid discharge". Some of them are even stating that they cannot afford the investments.

[Read: Union Minister Uma Bharti pledges to clean Ganga in 3 years]

As per the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Kanpur-Varanasi stretch is the most important with over 700 polluting industries. Most of the pollution load in the river is due to domestic sewerage, accounting for 85% of the total pollution. River factories contribute 15% of the toxic waste.

[Read: Sulabh offers help to centre in cleaning Ganga]

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