Mission Gange: PM urges participants to reach out to schoolchildren

New Delhi, Oct 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with a group of about 40 enthusiasts with experience in mountaineering, who are embarking on an expedition to raise awareness on cleaning the River Ganga.

The group includes 8 mountaineers who have successfully climbed Mount Everest, and is led by Ms. Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Besides, professionals from backgrounds as diverse as engineering, environmentalists, science etc. are part of the expedition team that is prepared to meet all challenges that they may encounter during the expedition. The team during its stay in the towns will carry out cleanliness drives at ghats and surrounding areas by engaging and motivating more and more people.

The expedition, which has been inspired by the Union Government's "Namami Gange" campaign, has been named "Mission Gange." The month long rafting expedition, will see the group travel through the river from Haridwar to Patna, with halts at Bijnor, Narora, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, and Buxar. At each of these nine cities, the group will raise awareness about keeping the Ganga clean, and also undertake cleaning activities.

PM interacts with with 'Mission Gange' team

Interacting with the group, the Prime Minister appreciated the group members for undertaking this initiative. He underlined the importance of a clean and vibrant River Ganga. He particularly urged the group to reach out to schoolchildren as part of their awareness activities in the cities they are transiting through. Courtesy: @PIB_India

Bachendri Pal as team lead

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has partnered with Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) to launch a month-long rafting expedition which will be led by the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest Ms. Bachendri Pal. The expedition will start from Haridwar on October 5th 2018 traversing a distance of around 1500 km encompassing 8 major towns including Bijnor, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Buxar. It will conclude in Patna in Bihar on 30th October. Courtesy: @PIB_India

Nitin Gadkari's message

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari addressed the team through a video message. He said that Namami Gange is working hard for cleanliness of Ganga River. "Several projects like sewage infrastructure, ghat cleaning, river surface cleaning etc. are going on and are at various stages of completion. But, these efforts need to be supported by all of us. Hence, public participation is one of the key components of the Namami Gange programme and this expedition also will create awareness at the local level through Ganga Chaupals and other interactions the expedition team will have with the local inhabitants", the Minister added. Courtesy: @PIB_India

Creating awareness on clean Ganga

DG, NMCG Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said: "During the month-long expedition, the team will stop at all major locations and carry out cleaning drives in coordination with NMCG stakeholders like Ganga Vichar Manch, Ganga Praharis, District Ganga Committees, local voluntary organizations and people from all walks of life. Awareness campaigns will be conducted in schools to sensitize students towards Ganga cleaning. Events such as Ganga Chaupal will be conducted along the Ganga to create conversations between stakeholders." Courtesy: @PIB_India