River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016
This Order, approved by the Union Cabinet and notified in October 2016, created a new institutional structure for Ganga governance, establishing the National Ganga Council chaired by the Prime Minister (replacing the earlier National Ganga River Basin Authority, NGRBA) and empowering the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to function as the implementing arm with administrative and financial autonomy. Provisions under this framework, along with associated guidelines, treated the Ganga flood plain broadly as an area to be kept free of construction to preserve natural groundwater recharge and reduce pollution loads on the river.
- Notified: October 7, 2016, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Created a five-tier structure: National Ganga Council (PM-chaired) → Empowered Task Force → NMCG (executing agency, two-tier: Governing Council and Executive Committee) → State Ganga Committees → District Ganga Committees.
- One of NMCG's stated objectives has been to treat the river bank and flood plain as a construction-free zone to protect natural recharge functions and reduce pollution.
- Falls under the broader Namami Gange Programme, launched in June 2014 as an integrated conservation mission for pollution abatement and rejuvenation of the Ganga.
● Tracked since August 11, 2026 · last seen August 27, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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