Clean Ganga Mission organises 10th edition of ‘Igniting Young Minds Rejuvenating Rivers’ to connect youth with river conservation

New Delhi [India], September 10 : The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Jal Shakti in 
collaboration with APAC News Network organised the 10th edition of 'Igniting Young Minds Rejuvenating Rivers' 
webinar on Thursday with the aim of connecting youth and students with river conservation and promotion programmes.
According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the theme of the webinar was Natural Farming. In this special session, the 
need to effectively educate the youth about natural farming in Ganga basin states under Arth Ganga Project was discussed.
Giving the keynote address, DG, NMCG, G Asok Kumar gave an overview of the Namami Gange Programme and informed about
the various steps being taken to make River Ganga Nirmal and Aviral. Kumar highlighted the concerns of seepage of 
chemicals from fields into the river basin, and the need for chemical-free farming on the banks of River Ganga for 
improved biodiversity and the quality of water. He said that natural farming is one of the most important pillars 
of Arth Ganga and it can address several issues related to Ganga rejuvenation. Recalling the vision given by Prime 
Minister, Narendra Modi in the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Kanpur in 2019, he highlighted NMCG's
 efforts towards sustainable agriculture with natural farming being one of the pillars of the Arth Ganga model.
He discussed Namami Gange's efforts in identifying pollution sources and putting diversion systems to treat unclean
water. "With Nirmal Jal Kendras (STPs), quality water is being put back into rivers," he informed. On natural farming, 
he said that the chemical fertilizers used in farming flow into the river with rainwater and pollute the water bodies.
 It becomes a major nonpoint pollution source. He called for the 'More Net Income Per Drop' campaign, a step ahead of 
the 'More Crop Per Drop' slogan. This puts emphasis on the net income from the sale of crops in a monetised economy by
 reducing the expenditure of farmers through natural farming.
This is in line with decreasing the usage of chemicals and employing natural means of crop production. 
With natural farming, he noted that "we can save 50-70 per cent of water in the economy wherein at least 85-90 per cent 
of water is used in the agriculture sector. This will ensure efficient usage of water and save water being used for
 other purposes like drinking water." He mentioned that interactions with farmers and many rounds of discussions with
 experts is being undertaken by Namami Gange, to educate farmers about the benefits of natural farming and bring a 
behavioural change in their farming practices. Kumar also stressed the importance of supporting farmers through the 
process by handholding initially. He advocated for post-harvesting marketing strategies to help brand the produce coming
 from these farmers.