Mera Saansad
Search Search
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ language

PM inaugurates Six Major Projects in Uttarakhand to make River Ganga Nirmal and Aviral

Published By : Admin | September 29, 2020 | 11:10 IST
Sewage treatment capacity of Uttarakhand increased 4 times in the last 6 years due to Namami Gange Mission
Over 130 drains flowing into River Ganga closed in the last 6 years
Inaugurates ‘Ganga Avalokan’, the first of its kind museum on River Ganga
Announces a special 100-day campaign from October 2nd to ensure drinking water connection to every school and Anganwadi in the country
Lauds Uttarakhand Government for providing drinking water connection to more than 50 thousand families even during the period of Corona

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated 6 mega development projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission today through video conference.

Shri Modi also inaugurated the Ganga Avalokan Museum, the first of its kind on the River Ganga at Haridwar. He released a book “Rowing Down the Ganges” and the new logo for the Jal Jeevan Mission. The Prime Minister also unveiled the ‘Margadarshika for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis under Jal Jeevan Mission’ (Guidelines for the Village Panchayats and Water Committees) on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion the Prime Minister said the Jal Jeevan Mission aims at providing every rural household in the country with piped-water connection. Shri Modi said that the new logo of the Mission shall continue to inspire the need to save every drop of water.

Referring to the Margadarshika, the Prime Minister said that they are equally important for the Gram Panchayats, people living in rural areas as well as for the Government machinery.

Describing the book “Rowing Down the Ganges” he said it explains in details how the River Ganges stands as a glowing symbol of our Culture, Faith and Heritage.

Shri Modi highlighted the importance of keeping the River Ganga clean as it plays a significant role in sustaining the lives of about 50 percent of the country’s population from its origin in Uttarakhand till West Bengal.

He termed the Namami Gange Mission as the largest integrated river conservation mission which not only aims at the cleanliness of River Ganga but also focuses on comprehensive upkeep of the River. Prime Minister said this new thinking and approach had made the River Ganga return back to life. Had the old methods been adopted, the situation would have been equally bad today. Old methods lacked public participation and foresight.

The Prime Minister said the government moved forward with a four pronged strategy to achieve its objective.

First- started laying a network of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent the waste water from flowing into the Ganges.

Second, The STPs were built by keeping in mind the demands for the next 10 - 15 years.

Third - By making around hundred big towns/cities and five thousand villages along the River Ganga Open Defecation Free (ODF).

And Fourth - By making an all-out effort to stop the pollution in the tributaries of River Ganga.

Shri Modi highlighted the fact that under Namami Gange, projects worth more than Rs 30,000 Crores are either in progress or have been completed. He pointed out that due to these projects the sewage treatment capacity of Uttarakhand has increased 4 times in the last 6 years.

The Prime Minister listed the efforts taken to close more than 130 drains in Uttarakhand from flowing into the River Ganga. He referred specially to the Chandreshwar Nagar drain which turned as an eyesore to visitors and rafters at Muni Ki Reti, in Rishikesh. He applauded the closing of the drain and the construction of a four storied STP at Muni Ki Reti.

Prime Minister said that as it was experienced by the pilgrims at Prayagraj Kumbh, the visitors to Haridwar Kumbh would also experience the clean and pure status of the River Ganga at Uttarakhand. Shri Narendra Modi referred to the beautification of the hundreds of ghats at Ganges and the development of a modern riverfront at Haridwar.

Prime Minister said the Ganga Avalokan Museum would be a special attraction to pilgrims and it would further enhance the understanding of the heritage associated with Ganga

The Prime Minister said apart from the cleanliness of the Ganges, the Namami Gange is focussing on development of the economy and environment of the entire Gangetic belt. He said the Government has made comprehensive plans to promote Organic farming and Ayurvedic farming.

Prime Minister said that the project would also strengthen the Mission Dolphin which was announced on the 15th of August this year.

The Prime Minister said owing to fragmentation of work- on an important subject like water- into various ministries and departments, led to lack of clear guidelines & coordination. As a result, problems related to irrigation and drinking water continued to persist. He lamented that even after so many years of independence, piped drinking water has not reached more than 15 crore households in the country.

Shri Modi said the Ministry of Jal Shakti was formed to bring in a synergy and give impetus to dealing with these challenges. He said the ministry is now engaged in the mission of ensuring access to piped drinking water to every house in the country.

Today, about 1 lakh households are being provided piped water supply connections every day under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He said drinking water connections have been provided to 2 crore families of the country in just 1 year.

He lauded the Government of Uttarakhand for providing drinking water connections to more than 50 thousand families even during the period of Corona in the last 4-5 months.

The Prime Minister said unlike the previous programmes, Jal Jeevan Mission adopts a bottom to top approach, where the users and Paani Samitis (Water Committees) in the villages envision the whole project from its implementation to maintenance and operation. He said the mission has also ensured that at least 50% of the members of the water committee would be women. He said the Mardarshika Guidelines released today will guide the members of the Water Committee and Gram Panchayats in taking the right decisions.

Prime Minister said a special 100-day campaign is being launched on 2nd Oct this year under Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure drinking water connection to every school and Anganwadi in the country.

The Prime Minister said the Government has brought in major reforms recently for the farmers, the industrial labour and in the health sector.

Shri Modi lamented that those who are opposing these reforms are opposing only for the sake of opposing them. He said those who ruled the country for decades have never cared about empowering the workers, youth, farmers and women of the country.

Prime Minister said that these people want the farmers not to sell their produce at a profitable price to anyone and anywhere in the country.

The Prime Minister listed various initiatives of the Government like Jan Dhan bank accounts, Digital India Campaign, International Yoga Day which were opposed by the opposition in spite of the benefits accrued to the people at large.

He said it is the same people who opposed modernisation of the Air Force and provision of modern fighter planes to it. The very same people also opposed the One Rank One Pension policy of the Government, whereas the Government already paid dues of over Rs 11,000 Crores in the form of arrears to the pensioners of the armed forces.

He said these are the very same people who criticised the surgical strike and asked the soldiers to prove that there was a surgical strike. Shri Modi said this makes clear to the whole country what their actual intentions are.

He added with passage of time these people who oppose and protest are becoming irrelevant.

 

Click here to read full text speech

Login or Register to add your comment
Explore More
ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮ ਜਨਮ-ਭੂਮੀ ਮੰਦਿਰ ਧਵਜਾਰੋਹਣ ਉਤਸਵ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਦੇ ਭਾਸ਼ਣ ਦਾ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਅਨੁਵਾਦ

Popular Speeches

ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਮ ਜਨਮ-ਭੂਮੀ ਮੰਦਿਰ ਧਵਜਾਰੋਹਣ ਉਤਸਵ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਦੇ ਭਾਸ਼ਣ ਦਾ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਅਨੁਵਾਦ
View All
Modi’s West Asia tour marks India’s quiet reordering of regional security partnerships

Media Coverage

Modi’s West Asia tour marks India’s quiet reordering of regional security partnerships
View All
NM on the go

Nm on the go

Always be the first to hear from the PM. Get the App Now!
Download App
...
PM chairs 50th meeting of PRAGATI
December 31, 2025
In last decade, PRAGATI led ecosystem has helped accelerate projects worth more than ₹85 lakh crore: PM
PM’s Mantra for the Next Phase of PRAGATI: Reform to Simplify, Perform to Deliver, Transform to Impact
PM says PRAGATI is essential to sustain reform momentum and ensure delivery
PM says Long-Pending Projects have been Completed in National Interest
PRAGATI exemplifies Cooperative Federalism and breaks Silo-Based Functioning: PM
PM encourages States to institutionalise PRAGATI-like mechanisms especially for the social sector at the level of Chief Secretary
In the 50th meeting, PM reviews five critical infrastructure projects spanning five states with with a cumulative cost of more than ₹40,000 crore
Efforts must be made for making PM SHRI schools benchmark for other schools of state governments: PM

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 50th meeting of PRAGATI - the ICT-enabled multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation - earlier today, marking a significant milestone in a decade-long journey of cooperative, outcome-driven governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The milestone underscores how technology-enabled leadership, real-time monitoring and sustained Centre-State collaboration have translated national priorities into measurable outcomes on the ground.

Review undertaken in 50th PRAGATI

During the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed five critical infrastructure projects across sectors, including Road, Railways, Power, Water Resources, and Coal. These projects span 5 States, with a cumulative cost of more than ₹40,000 crore.

During a review of PM SHRI scheme, Prime Minister emphasized that the PM SHRI scheme must become a national benchmark for holistic and future ready school education and said that implementation should be outcome oriented rather than infrastructure centric. He asked all the Chief Secretaries to closely monitor the PM SHRI scheme. He further emphasized that efforts must be made for making PM SHRI schools benchmark for other schools of state government. He also suggested that Senior officers of the government should undertake field visits to evaluate the performance of PM SHRI schools.

On this special occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi described the milestone as a symbol of the deep transformation India has witnessed in the culture of governance over the last decade. Prime Minister underlined that when decisions are timely, coordination is effective, and accountability is fixed, the speed of government functioning naturally increases and its impact becomes visible directly in citizens’ lives.

Genesis of PRAGATI

Recalling the origin of the approach, the Prime Minister said that as Chief Minister of Gujarat he had launched the technology-enabled SWAGAT platform (State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology) to understand and resolve public grievances with discipline, transparency, and time-bound action.

Building on that experience, after assuming office at the Centre, he expanded the same spirit nationally through PRAGATI bringing large projects, major programmes and grievance redressal onto one integrated platform for review, resolution, and follow-up.

Scale and Impact

Prime Minister noted that over the years the PRAGATI led ecosystem has helped accelerate projects worth more than 85 lakh crore rupees and supported the on-ground implementation of major welfare programmes at scale.

Since 2014, 377 projects have been reviewed under PRAGATI, and across these projects, 2,958 out of 3,162 identified issues - i.e. around 94 percent - have been resolved, significantly reducing delays, cost overruns and coordination failures.

Prime Minister said that as India moves at a faster pace, the relevance of PRAGATI has grown further. He noted that PRAGATI is essential to sustain reform momentum and ensure delivery.

Unlocking Long-Pending Projects

Prime Minister said that since 2014, the government has worked to institutionalise delivery and accountability creating a system where work is pursued with consistent follow-up and completed within timelines and budgets. He said projects that were started earlier but left incomplete or forgotten have been revived and completed in national interest.

Several projects that had remained stalled for decades were completed or decisively unlocked after being taken up under the PRAGATI platform. These include the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge in Assam, first conceived in 1997; the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link, where work began in 1995; the Navi Mumbai International Airport, conceptualised in 1997; the modernisation and expansion of the Bhilai Steel Plant, approved in 2007; and the Gadarwara and LARA Super Thermal Power Projects, sanctioned in 2008 and 2009 respectively. These outcomes demonstrate the impact of sustained high-level monitoring and inter-governmental coordination.

From silos to Team India

Prime Minister pointed out that projects do not fail due to lack of intent alone—many fail due to lack of coordination and silo-based functioning. He said PRAGATI has helped address this by bringing all stakeholders onto one platform, aligned to one shared outcome.

He described PRAGATI as an effective model of cooperative federalism, where the Centre and States work as one team, and ministries and departments look beyond silos to solve problems. Prime Minister said that since its inception, around 500 Secretaries of Government of India and Chief Secretaries of States have participated in PRAGATI meetings. He thanked them for their participation, commitment, and ground-level understanding, which has helped PRAGATI evolve from a review forum into a genuine problem-solving platform.

Prime Minister said that the government has ensured adequate resources for national priorities, with sustained investments across sectors. He called upon every Ministry and State to strengthen the entire chain from planning to execution, minimise delays from tendering to ground delivery.

Reform, Perform, Transform

On the occasion, the Prime Minister shared clear expectations for the next phase, outlining his vision of Reform, Perform and Transform saying “Reform to simplify, Perform to deliver, Transform to impact.”

He said Reform must mean moving from process to solutions, simplifying procedures and making systems more friendly for Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business.

He said Perform must mean to focus equally on time, cost, and quality. He added that outcome-driven governance has strengthened through PRAGATI and must now go deeper.

He further said that Transform must be measured by what citizens actually feel about timely services, faster grievance resolution, and improved ease of living.

PRAGATI and the journey to Viksit Bharat @ 2047

Prime Minister said Viksit Bharat @ 2047 is both a national resolve and a time-bound target, and PRAGATI is a powerful accelerator to achieve it. He encouraged States to institutionalise similar PRAGATI-like mechanisms especially for the social sector at the level of Chief Secretary.

To take PRAGATI to the next level, Prime Minister emphasised the use of technology in each and every phase of the project life cycle.

Prime Minister concluded by stating that PRAGATI@50 is not merely a milestone it is a commitment. PRAGATI must be strengthened further in the years ahead to ensure faster execution, higher quality, and measurable outcomes for citizens.

Presentation by Cabinet Secretary

On the occasion of the 50th PRAGATI milestone, the Cabinet Secretary made a brief presentation highlighting PRAGATI’s key achievements and outlining how it has reshaped India’s monitoring and coordination ecosystem, strengthening inter-ministerial and Centre-State follow-through, and reinforcing a culture of time-bound closure, which resulted in faster implementation of projects, improved last-mile delivery of Schemes and Programmes and quality resolution of public grievances.