PM Modi to unveil ambitious Narmada river conservation roadmap on Monday

Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will unveil an ambitious roadmap for conservation of the Narmada river, which flows 1,312 km from east to west before draining into the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.

Narmada, also known as Rewa, is one of major rivers in the country.

PM Modi will announce the plan during an event at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh's Anooppur district.

The event coincides with the conclusion of “Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra.

The conservation campaign was first launched in December last year.

"The prime minister will release the roadmap for the conservation of Narmada, the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, at Amarkantak," PTI quoted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as saying.

"The roadmap has been prepared after a wide-ranging consultation with various stakeholders, including environmentalists, river conservation experts and people directly associated with Narmada," he said.

The Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra, which was started on December 11, 2016 from Amarkantak, will conclude on Monday after covering a distance of 3,344 km and passing through over 1,100 villages/towns.

A number of prominent personalties, including Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, BJP president Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Uma Bharti and Anil Madhav Dave, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and well-known water conservationist Rajendra Singh, among others, had taken part in the yatra during different phases.

Modi will arrive at Amarkantak, around 450km from here, in the afternoon.

He will also take part in 'Narmada Pujan' and address a gathering, an official associated with the yatra said.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the prime minister's visit, he said.

(With PTI inputs)