Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : The final results of Ganga Quest 2021, an online quiz contest, were announced on June 20, 2021, on occasion of Ganga Dussehra. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat congratulated and felicitated the winners. Ganga Quest is an online quiz contest and an educational program to sensitise children and youth on River Ganga and other rivers of India and the environment. The quiz was organised by National Mission for Clean Ganga, Jal Shakti Ministry, in association with Tree Craze Foundation (TCF).
Shekhawat interacted with the winners and the volunteers who are working on the ground to strengthen the Namami Gange programme. He asked the volunteers for feedback to further strengthen the programme. He said, “The physical infrastructure (like STPs, Ghats and crematoriums, etc) built under Namami Gange can be seen by all, but the far bigger achievement is of reviving people’s awareness and devotion towards the sacred Ganga.”
He added that just considering our rivers as goddesses will not serve any purpose if that doesn’t reflect in our treatment of rivers.” We have to take responsibility,” Shekhawat said, according to a PIB release.
The winners shared their experience of participating in the quiz. Some shared that they have become more sensitive towards the environment after preparing for Ganga Quest. Few participants said they feel a sense of devotion towards not just Ganga but all rivers of the country because of what they learnt during the quiz. They also shared that while they were participating, their family members and friends also took an interest.
Xavier Chauvot de Beauchene from World Bank encouraged the winners to continue contributing towards conservation of environment by becoming agents of change. He said, “Youth are social media savvy and can become ambassadors of Ganga rejuvenation.” He congratulated NMCG & TCF for making it possible to reach out to more than 100 countries and more than one million participants. He recollected the progress NMCG has made in river rejuvenation.
‘Strategic Guidelines for Making River Sensitive Master Plans’ prepared by NMCG in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) was released at the event. Victor Shinde, Director NIUA, briefed the audience about this master plan. He said the thought behind the plan was that most of the pollution in a river is caused by cities along its banks. “If cities are the part of the problem, they have to be a part of the solution,” he said. He shared that the elements of these guidelines have found place in the draft MPD 2041 for Delhi.
Bhawna Badola, CEO, Tree Craze Foundation, explained the details of Ganga Quest andThe objective of all the activities will be to sensitize and motivate the children and youth for action to protect and restore our rivers.
Keynote address was delivered by Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti. He said the launch of guidelines for river centric master plans is a very significant step towards river conservation. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG, shared that enthusiasm towards Ganga Quest has increased over the year. He informed that this year 1.1 million people registered for the quiz from 113 different countries. He said, “We could also reach out to remote areas of the country. Similarly, making master plans river sensitive will improve the river city connect and help both – cities and rivers to have sustainable growth.”
The event was watched live by more than 7,000 people from across the world including from countries like Belgium, Austria, Netherland, Sweden and Germany, etc.