Over Rs 5,800 crore sanctioned for cleaning 34 polluted rivers: Environment Ministry
New Delhi: Over Rs 5,800 crore has been sanctioned for pollution abatement at 34 river stretches in 16 states across the country, excluding River Ganga, the Environment Ministry has said.
Out of the total of Rs 5,870 crore sanctioned under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), the Centre has released its share of Rs 2,522 crore to states, Minister of State for Environment Babul Supriyo recently told the Lok Sabha.
Project proposals are received from states from time to time for taking up pollution abatement works in town along various rivers and are considered for financial assistance under the NRCP.
NRCP has covered polluted stretches of 34 rivers in 77 towns spread over 16 states at a sanctioned cost of Rs 5870.55 crore, the MoS said while responding to a query in this regard.
In the last one year, Rs 143 crore has been released to nine states for pollution abatement in rivers under NRCP, the minister said.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards, monitors the water quality of rivers on a regular basis.
351 stretches of polluted rivers have been identified by the apex pollution body.
On another question on lakes and wetlands conservation, the ministry said it has released Rs 181 crores to 20 states for pollution abatement in lakes and wetlands in last three years, with Rs 1.58 crore being released in the current financial year so far.
The Environment Ministry is currently implementing a centrally sponsored scheme named National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems(NPCA) under which 180 wetlands including lakes have been prioritised for conservation and management, the minister said.
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BJP has history of ‘contradictory alliances’, says BK Hariprasad
Bengaluru: Congress MLC B. K. Hariprasad has launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the party of hypocrisy over its criticism of alliance politics in Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X on Friday, Hariprasad said BJP leader B. L. Santhosh criticising the Congress party’s alliance politics in Tamil Nadu was “not just laughable, but the height of political contradiction.”
He said the Congress has always joined hands with like-minded parties to protect secular and democratic values in the country.
Hariprasad questioned the BJP over several of its past and present alliances across the country. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tripura, Bihar and Maharashtra, he accused the BJP of sharing power with parties it had earlier criticised.
He alleged that the BJP had aligned with separatist and corruption-linked political forces in different states for political gains.
“The BJP, which speaks against alliances today, should first look at its own political history,” he said, adding that the party’s record was full of “contradictions and changing stands.”
Hariprasad also accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI as political tools to target opposition leaders, topple governments and influence electoral mandates.
He further claimed that the people of Tamil Nadu had strongly rejected the BJP and its ideology in the recent election.
“Congress forms alliances to protect the Constitution, secularism and national unity, while the BJP enters into alliances only for power,” he said.
