17 Feb : Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh approved the notification with immediate effect for setting up the Ganga River Basin Authority for comprehensive management of the Ganga basin.
The framework for the proposed authority was finalized on Tuesday after discussion at a meeting chaired by the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister with Chief Secretaries of the Ganga Basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand while West Bengal was represented by Principal Secretary, Department of Environment of West Bengal.The five states unanimously endorsed the proposal.This Authority chaired by the Prime Minister will consist of Chief Ministers of the Ganga Basin states as members along with related Union Ministers.The first meeting of the Authority to be chaired by the Prime Minister would be held soon.