(Image source from: Moneycontrol)
Of the total contributions received by the government's Clean Ganga Fund since 2015, more than 86 percent was from government departments and some other entities, the Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
The Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) contributed only 2 percent said the report, which was based on records received by the Express in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application.
Private organizations contributed Rs 19.54 crore, or 10.32 percent of the total sum, from March 2015 till 30 September 2018, while NRIs and PIOs donated Rs 3.76 crore in the same period.
Contributions to the Fund under the heading "individuals", presumably Indian citizens, totaled Rs 2.37 crore, or 1.25 percent of the entire amount. The remaining amount, which pushed the total figure to Rs 189.17 crore, was contributed by "government departments, government organizations, public sector undertakings", the report said.
The Clean Ganga Fund was formed by a cabinet decision in September 2014 for financing at least ten different kinds of activities for cleaning the Ganga.
Some of them are:
- Activities outlined under the 'Namami Gange' programme for cleaning of river Ganga.
- Control of non-point pollution from agricultural runoff, human defecation, cattle wallowing, etc.
- Establishment of waste treatment and disposal plants along the river around the cities.
The Indian Express report, quoting the Fund's website, said it was established by the government with "voluntary contributions from residents of the country and NRIs/PIOs and others to harness their enthusiasm to contribute towards the conservation of the river Ganga".
-Sowmya Sangam
