Namami Gange inspired global recognition of river cleanliness efforts: Dy CM Brajesh Pathak

Lucknow: Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said under the Modi govt, the Ganga was not only made fit for bathing but also for drinking and 'aachman' (ritualistic purification before a religious ceremony or prayer).
"As soon as the BJP govt came to power in 2014, PM Narendra Modi launched the Namami Gange project to check pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of Ganga. Maha Kumbh is the biggest example of the govt's river cleaning efforts. People around the globe and even research universities are surprised to see that 66-crore people took a dip and also took 5-10 litres of pure water along with them," he said.
The Deputy CM was speaking during the TOI River Dialogues 2025: Restoring the Glory of Uttar Pradesh's River, held at a private hotel on Monday.
He said: "Whenever we hear the name of Ganga, it automatically comes to our mind as the giver of salvation. Since ancient times in our culture, Ganga is regarded as the one who is a selfless giver, a mother. Be it our birth or death, both the beginning and the end of life begin with Ganga water."
He added that, "I am proud to say that my state, Uttar Pradesh, has the most rivers flowing through it in India."
Citing an example, Pathak said in Kanpur, earlier people didn't even want to touch the Ganga water due to tannery pollution.
"But now, whether it is Kanpur or any other place, we have installed STPs and water purifiers to keep the river clean. We also keep checking whether the STPs were functional or not. I myself did reality checks of STPs, and today I can say proudly that our PM-led govt did a wonderful job. Not just Ganga, but the govt worked on its tributaries too. Under Namami Gange, along with the cleanliness of rivers, the work of beautification of ghats was also taken as priority," he added.
The Deputy CM said the best example of these efforts was Maha Kumbh-2025.
In 2019, around 25 crore people took a dip in Maha Kumbh which swelled to around 66 crore in 2025 due to uninterrupted flow and cleanliness of the Ganga and Yamuna.