Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: Amidst growing focus on the Ganga clean-up drive, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on the Government to rope-in voluntary contributions of the stalwarts of the India Inc. and the leading Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), to clean rivers such as Ganga and Yamuna by rewarding them with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tax incentives.
The proposed suggestion mooted by the Chamber for the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation can augment funds and all round support for the much publicised rivers cleaning plan of the government, beginning with the holy river Ganga and Yamuna, said Mr. Sharad Jaipuria, President, PHD Chamber.
The voluntary contributions of Indian industry including other profit making agencies would keep soaring for rivers cleaning drive of the government of the day provided its linkages are further deepened with the CSR activities and the adoption of the pockets earmarked for them along the length and breadth of the rivers are permitted to be owned by these groups in terms of raising bill boards with their names inscribed on them for public consumption, feels the Chamber.
In a press statement issued here today, Mr. Jaipuria said, “Such contributions from the aforesaid identified sections of Society would reduce the financial burden of the government for creating surpluses to accomplish the desired objectives, especially at a time when India is grappled with a serious problem of containing its growing fiscal deficit”.
What the government is required to do is to indulge in serious parleys with the State Governments to take them on board for identifying the riverbeds and earmarking them for adoption to India Inc. so that the cleaning operation becomes smooth and specific and thereby reward them with CSR incentives as per prescribed norms, laid down from time-to-time, further states the recommendation of the PHD Chamber.
Mr. Jaipuria further stated that the consensus approach evolved by the Centre and States for cleaning the rivers with the help of voluntary contributions from different sections of Society including India Inc. should also be advanced for the endorsement of other civil society sects and religious cults in the concerned region to ensure that there is perfect harmony and the river cleaning is achieved in sync with all sections of the Society.
