New Delhi [India], February 14 (ANI): Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday mentioned that rivers are synonymous with civilisation.
Addressing the gathering on the opening session of Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers (DHARA 2023) organised by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in Maharashtra’s Pune, Shekhawat mentioned, “Rivers are synonymous with civilizations and after several decades of using our rivers for survival, we must reflect on what we have given the rivers back, otherwise our future generations will bear the brunt of water scarcity.”He additional expressed his contentment that over 40 Municipal Commissioners had been current on the occasion and mirrored on the significance of decentralized planning in successfully managing water assets.
“The planning can best be done at the level of the local self-bodies and that is the reason why their presence here is of immense importance,” Shekhawat mentioned including that it’s important to attach with the folks, which might occur by way of native our bodies, for the success of any programme regarding water.
The assembly was attended by NMCG Director General G. Asok Kumar; Pune Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar; NIUA Director Hitesh Vaidya. Meanwhile, the opening session of the occasion additionally witnessed the launch of the Urban River Management Plan for Ayodhya and Aurangabad.
The Union Minister inaugurated the occasion by unifying the water collected from 52 taking part cities in a Jal Kalash.
Addressing the gathering, Shekhawat additionally mentioned that the nation goes by way of a vital time and has accomplished 75 years of Independence. He mentioned that the technologically-driven change that has been witnessed previously few a long time makes it all of the extra necessary for all of us to collectively work within the route of constructing a ‘Viksit Bharat’ as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The world is looking at us because of our growth, especially since India has been handed over the G20 presidency. During an event in Bhopal – Vision@2047- it was emphasized by me that we have accepted the challenge of Viksit Bharat and it is our collective responsibility. I was happy to see that 25 states participated in that event and made presentations on their plans for the water-related issues,” he mentioned mentioning their perception that water availability is immediately proportional to the expansion of the financial system.
He additionally mentioned that warning must be exercised in guaranteeing that our programmes on rivers don’t get restricted to infrastructure growth however we should attempt to set up a sturdy people-river connection. “It is necessary to reestablish the respect for water, which went down from generation to generation as part of the traditional wisdom of our forefathers,” he mentioned.
Speaking additional, he mentioned that it’s time to generate the people-river sentiment within the youthful technology with the assistance of social media.
Talking additional, he said that the Ministry of Jal Shakti is working holistically for offering protected ingesting water to each family, groundwater administration and recharge, aquifer mapping, and river rejuvenation and India is among the many international locations with one of many greatest monetary allocation to the water sector.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat expressed his happiness over the trajectory of accelerating the members of the River-Cities Alliance from 23 to 107 and mentioned that beneath the management of PM Modi, water as a sector is elevating above the silos.
“If every city (107) which is a member of the River Cities Alliance (RCA) will take a step forward, we will take 107 steps forward and that is the need of the hour,” he added.
Meanwhile, DG, NMCG G. Asok Kumar in his welcome handle mentioned that water was hardly a precedence for municipal commissioners however beneath Namami Gange Programme, they had been urged to deliver water into their essential agenda and we’ve got been profitable in doing that.
“Namami Gange has been selected as one of the world’s top 10 flagship programmes from over 160 countries which is a testament to the success of the Namami Gange Programme.”Talking in regards to the 2nd National Ganga Council assembly that passed off on December 30, 2022, Asok Kumar mentioned that the Hon’ble Prime Minister talked about in the course of the assembly how rivers are extraordinarily necessary autos for financial progress and emphasised the direct connection between clear rivers and the nation’s GDP and progress. He mentioned the imaginative and prescient for Swachh Bharat Mission laid out by the Prime Minister paved the trail in the direction of a paradigm shift within the strategy to city administration which may be seen in a number of improved well being indicators.
Shi Kumar expressed his happiness at the truth that the members of the River Cities Alliance have crossed the 100 mark and the city water points are actually being addressed in totality. “Water has always been kept in silos; one H2O was divided into multiple units. The creation of the Jal Shakti Ministry in 2019 was, perhaps, the first attempt at breaking those silos,” he mentioned, including, “Another important factor is the encroachment of our water bodies, which are the backbone of the traditional wisdom of water conservation and rainwater harvesting.”He urged the municipal commissioners to handle their water assets properly to see super progress in well being, financial system and general well-being of their jurisdictions and add worth to their cities.
“NMCG has taken a lot of initiatives like making Urban River Management Plans, Thesis Competition etc. to develop models for water as a development resource and RCA is certainly one of the most important steps in the direction of effective urban water management,” he mentioned, including the water sector is a distinct segment space and good work carried out would pave the way in which in the direction of environment friendly water administration and make India water safe.
The first day of the DHARA 2023 noticed periods on ‘Innovative Examples of River Management inside India’, ‘Innovative International Case Studies for River Management’, ‘Strengthening the Agenda for Urban River administration’, ‘Youth for Rivers’, and ‘Experiences from International River Cities’.
The occasion was additionally attended by NMCG Executive Director Himansu Badoni; BIOME Solutions Director S. Vishwanath; Pondman of India Ramveer Tanwar; Urban Development Specialist, World Resources Institute Kartiki Naik; Swacchta Pukare, Jamshedpur Gaurav Anand; NIUA Chief Advisor Rajiv Ranjan Mishra; Mississippi River Commission secretary, USA Col. Andy Pannier; GIZ Programme Director, Germany Martina Bukard; Head of Urban Water, Alluvium Consulting, Australia Harry Virahsawmy; Counsellor for Water and Urban Development in Embassy of Denmark Anitha Sharma; Ministry of Jal Shakti Professional Chair, Centre for Policy Research Srinivas Chokkakula; Founding Head of Ganga Prof. Vinod Tare; and Deputy Secretary of NMCG Dheeraj Joshi. (ANI)