NDA government might form separate ministry for rivers

LUCKNOW: BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi, who invoked the Ganga while filing his nomination paper in Varanasi, may carve out a ministry of rivers with special focus on Ganga if the NDA comes to power on May 16. Sources in the BJP said such an office could have a minister of state and function independently of the water resources ministry.

An international research institute for Ganga conservation would also come up on the bank of the river and the location would be would be finalised after the ministry is carved out. The Ganga project will be the biggest-ever river project in the country and will be driven by the ministry, BJP sources said.

The Ganga was not only mentioned by Modi in his speeches but was also a part of the BJP's vision document: cleaning up of the river is part of the exclusive Varanasi manifesto of the party.

On Tuesday, Amit Shah had had said Modi plans to develop the Ganga as a national project and nurture Varanasi if he became the PM. Sources also said with the Ganga being the lifeline of a large chunk of population in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal, it made sense to have a ministry to look into its management and develop it as a source of livelihood for the people.

Sources said the role of the ministry of rivers would not be limited to just cleaning up the Ganga but for other rivers as well. The ministry would also take up important projects like interlinking of rivers, a pet project of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Earlier, BJP leader Nitin Gadkari had announced an NDA government would ensure a separate budget to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore for developing rivers.