New Delhi: Emphasising on the need to make Ganga rejuvenation a mass movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the first priority of this mission should be to stop fresh generation of pollutants.


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Chairing the first high level meeting on "Namaami Gange", an integrated plan for Ganga rejuvenation, Modi said the first priority should be "Nirmal Ganga" (clean Ganga).


A statement issued here said the Prime Minister called for specific action plans to unite the strength of various sections of society dedicated to "Ganga Seva".


Stressing that teams of volunteers from various parts of the country could be involved in generating public awareness and perform Ganga seva by maintaining specific stretches of the river, he said that suggestions being received from people on the MyGov website should be carefully studied.


Modi referred to his vision for solid waste management and waste water management in 500 urban centres across India through the PPP model, and said the first priority under this vision would be given to towns on the banks of the Ganga, the statement said.


The Prime Minister also said that Ganga rejuvenation could also be envisaged as a major mission to conserve the environment with the involvement of nearly half the country's population. This would invite positive global attention, expertise and commitment.


The meeting was attended by Union Ministers Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Uma Bharati, Prakash Javdekar and Nirmala Sitharaman and top government officials.