- The Prime Minister chaired the first meeting of National Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga Council (National Ganga Council) in December 2019.
About National Ganga Council
- The NGC was formed in 2016 to prevent, protect and control pollution in River Ganga
- The National Ganga Council shall meet at least once every year or more as it may deem necessary
- NGC replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), NGRBA was formed in 2009.
- The Council has been given overall responsibility for the superintendence of pollution prevention and rejuvenation of River Ganga Basin, including Ganga and its tributaries.
- The first meeting of the Council was aimed at reinforcing the importance of a ‘Ganga-centric’ approach in all departments of the concerned states as well as relevant Central Ministries.
Composition
- Prime Minister- ex-officio Chairperson
- Union Minister for Water Resource and Ganga Rejuvenation(now Ministry of Jalshakti)- ex-officio Vice-Chairperson
- Ex-officio members of the council are CMs of;
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
- Uttarakhand
- Bihar
- Jharkhand
Other members are: Union Ministers for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Urban Affairs, Power, Tourism, Shipping and Vice-Chairman Niti Aayog
