GANGA: RE-IMAGINING, REJUVENATING, RE-CONNECTING

by Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Puskal Upadhyay

  1. ISBN: 978-93-5520-199-7
  2. Pages: 376 pages
  3. Date: 23rd December 2021

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Ganga means different things to different people—she’s the river,
the life-giver, the mother and the Goddess.
Apart from being India’s longest and most revered river, Ganga and her tributaries traverse eleven states and provide livelihood to nearly 43 per cent Indians. Despite being so special, Ganga has been getting polluted, with its ecology and flow endangered. Many initiatives to clean the river ended up either being hugely inadequate or dismal failures.

The dilemma before the new team of National Mission for Clean Ganga was not just the enormity of the task, but also having to bear the scar of past failures. This haunting legacy stayed with them every step of the way in their long, complex and daunting journey.

So, how do you even begin to think of re-imagining, rejuvenating and reconnecting with Ma Ganga? From the beginning, the team adopted a radically different and holistic approach to resolve the ‘wicked problem’ while dealing with multiple stakeholders and their clash of ideas on the road ahead.

This insider’s account by two change-makers chronicles this long and complex journey so far transcending the challenges of over abstraction of water, pollution abatement, bringing behavioural change and making collaborative partnerships to achieve their goals. More importantly, it brought back some of the love and respect of the people for its Mother and Goddess.
The authors are categorical that the task is not yet over, much more needs to be done. However, the successful journey so far, as demonstrated by the findings of this book, is a testament to the fact that a job well begun is not just half done, but also provides a road map for the future successes.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, an Indian Administrative Officer of the 1987 batch,
virtually changed the discourse on Ganga rejuvenation and its long-term
sustenance during his two separate stints at the National Mission for Clean
Ganga, first as a Mission Director and then as the Director-General. He
expanded the scope of the Mission to include the entire ecosystem of the
river, its basin and the clean-up of its tributaries, and other pollutants that
have been defiling the river for centuries.
Puskal Upadhyay is one of the pioneers of the government’s clean-Ganga
initiative. A civil engineer-turned-civil servant, he’s also a finance professional.
He had been associated with the clean-Ganga initiative even before Namami
Gange was launched and has played a critical role in developing the building
blocks of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) during its formative
years as Director (Finance). He is currently the Financial Advisor in New
Delhi Municipal Council.