Army offers to join PM Narendra Modi's Ganga cleaning effort

NEW DELHI: Seeking to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to clean river Ganga, the Army has proposed to set up a task force under a retired Lieutenant General to carry out the project efficiently.

The Army has submitted a proposal to the Government to set up a task force under a retired Lt General with a team of 40 officers who would help in cleaning the river, Army sources said.

The Territorial Army battalions of the Army are already engaged in the task of preserving ecology and environment and have been taking part in projects to spread greenery in barren areas such as the Bhati Mines area in Delhi, they said.

The Modi government had promised to clean up the river Ganga which has become heavily polluted due to industrial and human waste and has allocated Rs 2,037 crore for the task in its first general budget.

The NDA government has also created a separate ministry of Ganga Rejuvenation under Union Minister Uma Bharti. The government is also planning to set up an NRI fund to boost Gangas cleaning efforts.