Supreme Court sets two-week timeline for Ganga roadmap

The Supreme Court has set a two-week timeline for the government to submit an affidavit providing details about what it proposes to do for cleaning the river. This is despite NDA-led government giving top priority to the cleaning of river Ganga. The Union Budget 2014-15 also set aside over Rs 2,000 crores for cleaning the river.
The government had in June 2014 announced its intent to convert the cleaning of the holy river into a “mass movement”. Five ministers from water resources, environment, transport, power and tourism met to devise plans with regard to the redevelopment and cleaning of the Ganga, while the secretaries of these ministries are designing a roadmap.
The BJP had, in its election manifesto, emphasized on “purification” of Ganga for the “spiritual as well as physical wellbeing of India”.
For the BJP Ganga is “mukti dayini and jivan dayini”. PM Narendra Modi had made cleaning of the Ganga one of his major campaign subject in Varanasi.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2014