India offers Ganga sops to attract funds

Wealthy non-resident Indians as well as residents in India can fund and/or implement projects to clean the River Ganga. The incentive: they can name the projects after themselves or their family members.The government expects this to encourage NRIs as well as domestic high net worth individuals to open their purse strings as the scheme offers a double benefit: the chance to help clean the river, which millions of Hindus revere as holy, and to link and perpetuate their family name in connection with the Ganga.This is part of the government's initiative to draw in private participation in its ambitious Rs 20,000-crore ($3.3 billion) Namami Gange programme to rejuvenate the river. The dominant view in the government is that previous programmes to clean Ganga failed because they did not involve the people and depended too much on bureaucrats for success.A third of India's 1.2 billion population live in the Ganga Basin. Several of India's historical and imperial and cultural capitals such as Pataliputra, Kolkata, Murshidabad, Kashi, Kannauj and Allahabad are situated on its banks. The Ganga also provides livelihoods to the the millions who live along its banks. Yet, only about half the sewage, industrial effluents, human waste and other pollutants flowing into it are treated.Various international studies show that Ganga is the world's fifth most polluted river. This has turned large portions of the river toxic and unless remedial measures are taken, there is serious risk of the river dying a slow death, putting at risk not only the millions of people who depend on it but also about 140 fish and 90 amphibian species that live in it.The government has called for proposals from Indian and foreign organisations and donors. An empowered committee will go through these proposals to ensure that illegal or hot money does not flow into this project. NRIs can route their investments/donations through the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians, trust that has been set up by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.The projects will include those for arresting floating debris, recycling and oxygenating the water to regenerate it, setting up pollution control plants along its banks to treat industrial and community waste and beautifying and maintaining the many ghats that dot its banks.

The above article was published in India Inc's print edition of the India Investment Journal launched in June 2015 in conjunction with the Policy India Roundtable 2015.