Why is it in the News?

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on behalf of River Cities Alliance (RCA), has signed a Memorandum of Common Purpose (MoCP) with the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), representing 124 cities/towns situated along the banks of the Mississippi River, USA.

What is River Cities Alliance (RCA)?

• The River Cities Alliance (RCA) is a joint initiative of the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) & the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), with a vision to connect river cities and focus on sustainable river centric development.
• Beginning with 30 member cities in November 2021, the Alliance has expanded to 109 river cities across India and one international member city from Denmark.
  • 30 cities include Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Srinagar, Varanasi, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Farrukhabad, Mirzapur, Mathura, Bijnor, Ayodhya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, Munger, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Howrah, Jangipur, Hugli-Chinsurah, Berhampore, Maheshtala, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijayawada.
• The Alliance is open to all river cities of India. Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.
• Objective: To provide the member cities with a platform to discuss and exchange information on aspects that are vital for sustainable management of urban rivers, sharing best practices and supporting innovation.
• It focuses on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building and Technical Support.
• The Secretariat of the Alliance is set up at the National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA) Delhi.

About the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, established the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) as a registered society to take proactive measures for preventing, controlling, and abating environmental pollution in the Ganga River.
  • Its mission includes ensuring a continuous and adequate flow of water to rejuvenate the river.
  • Initially serving as the implementation arm of the dissolved National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), NMCG aims to achieve effective pollution abatement and river rejuvenation through a river basin approach, promoting inter-sectoral coordination and environmentally sustainable development.
• Post the dissolution of NGRBA in 2016, NMCG continues its objectives through the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management of River Ganga, also known as the National Ganga Council.
  • The mission focuses on maintaining minimum ecological flows in the Ganga to ensure water quality and sustainable development.
• Structure: NMCG follows a two-tier management structure comprising the Governing Council and the Executive Committee, both led by the Director General.
  • The Executive Committee holds the authority to approve projects up to Rs. 1000 crores.
  • At the state level, State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) serve as the implementing arms of State Ganga Committees.
  • The Director General of NMCG holds the position of Additional Secretary in the Government of India.