On November 25, 2021, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) launched the first of its kind Alliance in the world namely ‘River Cities Alliance (RCA)’. This alliance is launched after the collaboration of two entities i.e. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), MoJS; and National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
- Its Secretariat will be set up at NIUA, with NMCG’s support.
What is River Cities Alliance (RCA)?
It is a dedicated platform for river cities in India to ideate, discuss and exchange information for sustainable management of urban rivers such as minimizing their water footprint, reducing impacts on river and water bodies, capitalizing on natural, intangible, architectural heritage and associated services and develop self-sufficient, self-sustainable water resources through recycle, reuse strategy. .
- It will focus on three broad themes- Networking, Capacity Building, and Technical Support.
Member Cities- 30
The following member cities are from both Ganga basin states and non-Ganga basin states.
- Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna, Berhampore, Hooghly-Chinsurah, Howrah, Jangipur, Maheshtala, Rajmahal, Sahibganj, Ayodhya, Bijnor, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Mathura-Vrindavan, Mirzapur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Aurangabad, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Pune, Udaipur and Vijayawada.
Key Points:
i.This alliance will enable cities to learn from each other’s successes and failures as well as connect people with the rivers.
ii.It will also provide opportunities to member cities to strengthen governance aspects for river cities and improve their liveability to attract external economic investments, access state of the art knowledge and frameworks.
Recent Related News:
NMCG & South Asian Institute for Advanced Research & Development (SAIARD) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for creating an academic platform for researchers and young minds and to boost Research and Developing capacity building hubs in the eastern region.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, is a society registered on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
- It acted as the implementation arm of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
- Aim- To clean Ganges and its tributaries.
Director General– Rajiv Ranjan Mishra
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA):
Established in 1976, it is tasked to bridge the gap between research and practice on issues related to urbanization.
Director– Hitesh Vaidya
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi