Recently, the Ministry of Jal Shakti unveiled a new initiative named ‘Arth Ganga’ under the Namami Gange program with an aim to boost economic activities along the banks of river Ganga.

• Zero Budget Natural Farming is its first level, which includes chemical free farming for 10 km on both banks of the river and promotion of cow dung as manure through Govardhan Yojana. This will open the way for ‘Per Drop, More Income’ and ‘Gobar Dhan’ for the farmers.

• The second phase is monetization and reuse of sludge and waste water, which seeks to reuse treated water for irrigation, industries and revenue generation for urban local bodies (ULBs).

• Arth Ganga will also include opportunities for livelihood generation by creating haats where people can sell local produce, medicinal plants and Ayurveda.

• Fourth is to increase public participation by increasing coordination among the stakeholders associated with the river.

• The fifth model seeks to promote cultural heritage and tourism in and around the Ganges through boat tours, adventure sports and yoga activities.

• The final model seeks to promote institutional building by empowering local administration for better water governance.