Narmada Mission Launched With ₹100 Crore Annual Funding, AI And GIS To Monitor River Health

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To ensure that Narmada river water flows continuously and to ensure the conservation of the river, Cabinet approved the constitution of 'Nirmal evam Aviral Maa Narmada Mission' on Tuesday. It will also be known as 'Naman Mission'.

A sum of Rs 100 crore will be given per year to the mission through the medium of state grant.

Along with this, Rs 100 crore will be made available in five years for myriad works through prevailing schemes in exceptional circumstances. Around 33 per cent of the population of the state is directly or indirectly dependent on Narmada river or its catchment area.

Public participation in the mission will be ensured through CSR fund, central assistance and Public Private Partnership (PPP). The administrative structure of Mission will be three-tier.

Moreover, Project Management Unit (PMU) will be constituted for technical efficiency. This unit will use modern techniques such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analysis, GIS, Remote Sensing, Decision Support System, Climate Change Modelling to check the health of the river.

CM to chair General Assembly of Mission

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will chair the apex General Assembly which will have the Panchayat Minister as vice-chairman and ministers of 19 partner departments as members.

Apart from this, 10 distinguished specialists from river science, water science, environment, biodiversity, community management will be nominated.

Chief secretary will be the administrative executive committee's chairman. Panchayat department's additional chief secretary will be the vice-chairman.

The specialists of well-known national institutes such as IISER, IIT, IRMA, ICAR and NEERI will be accommodated in the executive committee.

Prahalad Patel objects to meagre allocation of Rs 100 cr for Narmada Mission

When discussion was being done on Narmada Mission and sanction of Rs 100 crore per year to it, panchayat minister Prahalad Patel objected by telling that what will happen with this little sum.

Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal intervened and told that budget of other partner departments will also be used in the mission.