G. D. Agrawal
Encyclopedia
Dr. G. D. Agrawal is a respected doyen
of environmental engineers
in India
. After a long career, he continues to teach and inspire students as an Honorary Professor of Environmental Science
s at the Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh
. He is notable for his successful fast in 2009 to stop the damming of the Bhagirathi River
, Muzaffarnagar district
, Uttar Pradesh
in 1932, he studied in local primary and secondary schools and graduated in Civil Engineering
from the University of Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee).
He began his professional career as a design engineer
in the Uttar Pradesh state Irrigation Department, and later obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He has authored many scientific publications. Dr Agrawal was raised to be deeply religious and educated to be rigorously scientific. In July 2011, he became a Hindu sannyasa
consultant
and is a Director of Envirotech Instruments (P) Limited, New Delhi, a company that he established with some of his former students from IIT-Kanpur. He is an engineer’s engineer, the person his peers turn to for solutions to difficult technical problems. At CPCB he was influential in shaping India’s pollution control regulatory structure. He has been a member of various government committees shaping policy-making and administrative mechanisms to improve India’s environmental quality.
, the pioneering founder of the Centre for Science and Environment
, New Delhi.
Dr Agrawal has been committed to supporting rural development
initiatives grounded in scientific methodology. He has helped mentor well-known development activists including: Dunu Roy (IIT Bombay,’67) of The Hazards Centre, New Delhi, Dr Ravi Chopra
(IIT-Bombay,’68) of People’s Science Institute, Dehra Doon and Rajendra Singh
, a Magsaysay awardee and founder of Tarun Bharat Sangh.
cloth. These are the deliberate choices of a devout Hindu with respect for simplicity in living and reverence for nature.
GD Agrawal embraced 'sanyas' at Sri Vidya Mutt on Sunday in the 79th year of his age. After 'diksha', he became Swami Gyanswaroop Anand. As a 'sanyasi', he will now study Hindu Shastras and spirituality. "In fact, I had taken 'diksha' by 'Guruji' (Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati) at Joshi Mutt on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra on June 11. Today I formally became a sanyasi," he said.
In Hindu ashram system, sanyas is considered the topmost order where a sanyasi renounces worldly and materialistic pursuits and spends the rest of his life in spiritual contemplation. But, in his new avtar of Swami Gyansaroop Anand, Agrawal will continue to fight for the Ganga. "I have dedicated my life to Mother Ganga and I will follow the direction of 'Guruji'," he told TOI.
"The purity and piety of 'Gangajal' (water of the Ganga) cannot be determined by the government employed engineers or officials, but it is a subject to be decided by our dharmacharyas," claimed the environmentalist. The scientist-turned-sanyasi is very unhappy with the state of affairs at the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), an empowered planning, financing monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. According to him, the Mission Clean Ganga-2020 would meet the same fate as the Ganga Action Plan (launched in 1986) that failed to achieve the goal despite investment of crores of rupees. Even Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh had admitted in Lok Sabha that the Ganga and Yamuna were not clean as they were 20 years ago despite investment of Rs 1,700 crore.
"No plan or programme of cleaning Mother Ganga will be acceptable if it is not accepted by the Shankaracharyas. The Shankaracharyas of all four peeths should have to sit together to save the Ganga," he said and added "it is not possible for an individual or a group of people to decide the fate of the Ganga."
Refusing to learn a lesson from the failure of GAP, the government is committing the same mistakes and working on the old pattern. "In fact, they have no concern for the Ganga at all. Was any person, official or engineer made accountable for the failure of GAP? Was any person punished for the mistake" he questioned. "Now, the same thing is going to happen. Is there anyone to take guarantee that the Ganga would be clean by 2020," he wondered and expressed his fear that the huge funds received from the World Bank would be exhausted again without any fruitful result. He, however, also held people equally responsible for the plight of the Ganga, who refused to stop dumping puja material and garbage into the national river.
Agrwal has always campaigned actively for rivers. He had sat on a fast-unto-death to ensure that river Bhagirathi was allowed to flow in its natural form between Gangotri and Uttarkashi. He called off his first fast on the 18th day on June 30, 2008 after the Uttarakhand government promised in writing to suspend work on the Bhairon Ghati (380 MW) and Pala-Maneri (480 MW) hydropower projects (HPPs) on the Bhagirathi river, and the Central government also gave a written commitment to ensure perennial environmental flows in all stretches of Bhagirathi and to keep it alive. Charging the Central government with reneging on this commitment, Agrawal resumed his fast-unto-death on January 14, 2009. He broke the fast on the 38th day on February 20, 2009 when the Central government gave a written commitment to suspend all work on the Loharinag-Pala HPP with immediate effect.
’s 2525 kilometres (1,569 mi) length. This run is from the river's source at the Gaumukh Glacier to the remote town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan foothills. In pursuit of its energy intensive agenda for economic growth, the Indian Government had hastily pushed hydroelectric generating projects on the river, in the process destroying what many describe as the traditional Indian ethos
of worshipping and living in harmony with nature
.
River Ganges, the natural mother
of Indian culture and civilization, by insisting on maintaining the uninterrupted flow of Bhagirathi River
in its natural form between Gangotri to Uttarkashi
. Dr. Agrawal started a fast on June 13, 2008 at Uttarkashi. His demand was very limited and specific i.e. to allow flow of the Ganges in its original channel in this 125 kilometres (77.7 mi) stretch from its origin. This is the only stretch left where the Ganges can still be seen undisturbed by man. The free-running of the river is a crucial element of its sacred status.
Before his fast began in January, Agarwal said, "The water ...(of the Ganges) is not ordinary water to a Hindu. It is a matter of the life and death of Hindu faith".
He requested the Government of India and the State Government of Uttarakhand
to stop construction of Hydro Electric
projects in this stretch of river, especially the Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project
, so that river flow not be diverted through series of tunnels and reservoirs resulting in destruction of the ecology of the river and its self purifying properties. Indians across the world got sensitised to this issue due to the selfless resolve of Professor Agrawal and lent their support to him.
He suspended his fast on June 30 after the Union Ministry of Power
decided to appoint a high level expert group to investigate the technical issues pertaining to ensuring adequate environmental flows in all stretches of the Bhagirathi river and keeping it alive. The government gave written agreement to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution in three months. After six and a half months there was no solution shown by the Central Government, so Dr. Agrawal resumed his fast on January 14, 2009 in Hindu Mahasabha Bhawan, Near Birla Mandir
, Mandir Marg, New Delhi.
Allegation by Uttarakahnd Minister
Diwakar Bhatt in press conference alleged that, “It may be that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US or Pakistan’s Inter Uttarakahnd Minister Service Intelligence (ISI) are behind these so-called anti-hydro projects in Uttarakhand, as by doing so they are hampering development of the state and ultimately of India. So by that way they are traitors and should be opposed by people too.”
Dr. Agrawal's devotion to the River Ganges comes from his strong Hindu faith and his conviction that India is staring at an unprecedented ecological and cultural catastrophe. As a citizen and a patriot, he has made it his life’s mission to recall India to its traditional reverence for nature and to share that wisdom with the “developed” world. His sense of duty
allows him to do no less.
On November 4, 2009 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
, also the chairman of NGRBA, directed concerned officials to expedite setting up of a National Ganges River Basin Research Institute (NGRBRI). The Centre for Environmental Studies and Technology (CEST), Banaras Hindu University
was named as the research institute to act as knowledge centre for collection and analysis of all relevant data regarding Ganges basin.
Objectives of NGRBRI are:
On February 10, 2010, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh
, addressing the Ganges- Yamuna summit organised by the Nehru Memorial Library and Museum said: "I have said in the Parliament
that India is a civilization of rivers, and it should not become a land of tunnels." He said some new projects on Bhagirathi River would not be allowed. "There are no two opinions. There is just one mass opinion that the projects proposed on the river Bhagirathi, named Pala Maneri and Bhaironghati projects, will not be entertained any further by the government."
Doyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
of environmental engineers
Environmental engineering
Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment , to provide healthy water, air, and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediate polluted sites...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. After a long career, he continues to teach and inspire students as an Honorary Professor of Environmental Science
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
s at the Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. He is notable for his successful fast in 2009 to stop the damming of the Bhagirathi River
Bhagirathi River
The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.-Etymology:...
Early life
Born to a farming family in KandhlaKandhla
Kandhla is a city and a municipal board in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.- Geography :Kandhla is located at . It has an average elevation of 241 metres...
, Muzaffarnagar district
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in 1932, he studied in local primary and secondary schools and graduated in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from the University of Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee).
He began his professional career as a design engineer
Design engineer
Design Engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines including electrical, mechanical, industrial design and civil engineering, architectural engineers in the U.S...
in the Uttar Pradesh state Irrigation Department, and later obtained a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He has authored many scientific publications. Dr Agrawal was raised to be deeply religious and educated to be rigorously scientific. In July 2011, he became a Hindu sannyasa
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
Career
He was the first Member-Secretary of the Government of India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) . He was formerly Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT Kanpur. Dr Agrawal is a sought-after Environmental Impact AssessmentEnvironmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
and is a Director of Envirotech Instruments (P) Limited, New Delhi, a company that he established with some of his former students from IIT-Kanpur. He is an engineer’s engineer, the person his peers turn to for solutions to difficult technical problems. At CPCB he was influential in shaping India’s pollution control regulatory structure. He has been a member of various government committees shaping policy-making and administrative mechanisms to improve India’s environmental quality.
Students
Dr Agrawal's students remember him with admiration, awe and affection. In 2002, his former students at IIT-Kanpur conferred on him the Best Teacher Award. He has guided many Masters and Doctoral students who are now leaders in the field of environmental engineering and science. Among his prominent students was the late Anil AgarwalAnil Agarwal (environmentalist)
Anil Agarwal was an Indian journalist and environmentalist who founded the Centre for Science and Environment in 1980....
, the pioneering founder of the Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE has been working on various environment-development issues in India, pushing for policy changes wherever required and better implementation...
, New Delhi.
Dr Agrawal has been committed to supporting rural development
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
initiatives grounded in scientific methodology. He has helped mentor well-known development activists including: Dunu Roy (IIT Bombay,’67) of The Hazards Centre, New Delhi, Dr Ravi Chopra
Ravi Chopra
Ravi Chopra is an Indian movie producer and director.Ravi has directed thus far the movies, Zameer , The Burning Train , Mazdoor , Dehleez , Baghban , and Baabul...
(IIT-Bombay,’68) of People’s Science Institute, Dehra Doon and Rajendra Singh
Rajendra Singh
Rajendra Singh is a well known water conservationist from Alwar district, Rajasthan in India. Also known as "waterman of India", he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2001 for his pioneering work in community-based efforts in water harvesting and water management. He runs...
, a Magsaysay awardee and founder of Tarun Bharat Sangh.
Lifestyle
Dr. Agrawal lives a Gandhian lifestyle in his spartan, two room cottage in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh. He sweeps his own floors, washes his own clothes and cooks his own meals. He retains only a few possessions and dresses in handspun handwoven khadiKhadi
The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
cloth. These are the deliberate choices of a devout Hindu with respect for simplicity in living and reverence for nature.
GD Agrawal embraced 'sanyas' at Sri Vidya Mutt on Sunday in the 79th year of his age. After 'diksha', he became Swami Gyanswaroop Anand. As a 'sanyasi', he will now study Hindu Shastras and spirituality. "In fact, I had taken 'diksha' by 'Guruji' (Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati) at Joshi Mutt on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra on June 11. Today I formally became a sanyasi," he said.
In Hindu ashram system, sanyas is considered the topmost order where a sanyasi renounces worldly and materialistic pursuits and spends the rest of his life in spiritual contemplation. But, in his new avtar of Swami Gyansaroop Anand, Agrawal will continue to fight for the Ganga. "I have dedicated my life to Mother Ganga and I will follow the direction of 'Guruji'," he told TOI.
"The purity and piety of 'Gangajal' (water of the Ganga) cannot be determined by the government employed engineers or officials, but it is a subject to be decided by our dharmacharyas," claimed the environmentalist. The scientist-turned-sanyasi is very unhappy with the state of affairs at the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), an empowered planning, financing monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. According to him, the Mission Clean Ganga-2020 would meet the same fate as the Ganga Action Plan (launched in 1986) that failed to achieve the goal despite investment of crores of rupees. Even Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh had admitted in Lok Sabha that the Ganga and Yamuna were not clean as they were 20 years ago despite investment of Rs 1,700 crore.
"No plan or programme of cleaning Mother Ganga will be acceptable if it is not accepted by the Shankaracharyas. The Shankaracharyas of all four peeths should have to sit together to save the Ganga," he said and added "it is not possible for an individual or a group of people to decide the fate of the Ganga."
Refusing to learn a lesson from the failure of GAP, the government is committing the same mistakes and working on the old pattern. "In fact, they have no concern for the Ganga at all. Was any person, official or engineer made accountable for the failure of GAP? Was any person punished for the mistake" he questioned. "Now, the same thing is going to happen. Is there anyone to take guarantee that the Ganga would be clean by 2020," he wondered and expressed his fear that the huge funds received from the World Bank would be exhausted again without any fruitful result. He, however, also held people equally responsible for the plight of the Ganga, who refused to stop dumping puja material and garbage into the national river.
Agrwal has always campaigned actively for rivers. He had sat on a fast-unto-death to ensure that river Bhagirathi was allowed to flow in its natural form between Gangotri and Uttarkashi. He called off his first fast on the 18th day on June 30, 2008 after the Uttarakhand government promised in writing to suspend work on the Bhairon Ghati (380 MW) and Pala-Maneri (480 MW) hydropower projects (HPPs) on the Bhagirathi river, and the Central government also gave a written commitment to ensure perennial environmental flows in all stretches of Bhagirathi and to keep it alive. Charging the Central government with reneging on this commitment, Agrawal resumed his fast-unto-death on January 14, 2009. He broke the fast on the 38th day on February 20, 2009 when the Central government gave a written commitment to suspend all work on the Loharinag-Pala HPP with immediate effect.
Background
Despite numerous protests and representations by local citizens, a total of 6 hydroelectric power-plant dams were planned, seeking clearance or already under construction, on a 125 kilometres (77.7 mi) stretch of the Bhagirathi RiverBhagirathi River
The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.-Etymology:...
’s 2525 kilometres (1,569 mi) length. This run is from the river's source at the Gaumukh Glacier to the remote town of Uttarkashi in the Himalayan foothills. In pursuit of its energy intensive agenda for economic growth, the Indian Government had hastily pushed hydroelectric generating projects on the river, in the process destroying what many describe as the traditional Indian ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
of worshipping and living in harmony with nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
.
Fast
Dr. Agrawal campaigned to save the sacredSacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
River Ganges, the natural mother
Mother Nature
Mother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless...
of Indian culture and civilization, by insisting on maintaining the uninterrupted flow of Bhagirathi River
Bhagirathi River
The Bhāgīrathī is a turbulent Himalayan river in the state of Uttarakhand, India, that is the source stream of the Ganges—the major river of the Gangetic plain of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism.-Etymology:...
in its natural form between Gangotri to Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi, meaning Kashi of the north, is a holy town in Uttarakhand, India. It is the district headquarter of Uttarkashi district. Uttarkashi is situated on the banks of river Bhagirathi at an altitude of 1352 m above sea level. Uttarkashi is home to a number of ashrams and temples and also to...
. Dr. Agrawal started a fast on June 13, 2008 at Uttarkashi. His demand was very limited and specific i.e. to allow flow of the Ganges in its original channel in this 125 kilometres (77.7 mi) stretch from its origin. This is the only stretch left where the Ganges can still be seen undisturbed by man. The free-running of the river is a crucial element of its sacred status.
Before his fast began in January, Agarwal said, "The water ...(of the Ganges) is not ordinary water to a Hindu. It is a matter of the life and death of Hindu faith".
He requested the Government of India and the State Government of Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
to stop construction of Hydro Electric
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
projects in this stretch of river, especially the Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project
Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project
Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project is a run-of-the-river hydroelectricity generating project planned by the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd to have an output capacity of 600 MW...
, so that river flow not be diverted through series of tunnels and reservoirs resulting in destruction of the ecology of the river and its self purifying properties. Indians across the world got sensitised to this issue due to the selfless resolve of Professor Agrawal and lent their support to him.
He suspended his fast on June 30 after the Union Ministry of Power
Ministry of Power (India)
The Ministry of Power is an Indian government ministry. The Minister of Power holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The current minister is Sushilkumar Shinde....
decided to appoint a high level expert group to investigate the technical issues pertaining to ensuring adequate environmental flows in all stretches of the Bhagirathi river and keeping it alive. The government gave written agreement to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution in three months. After six and a half months there was no solution shown by the Central Government, so Dr. Agrawal resumed his fast on January 14, 2009 in Hindu Mahasabha Bhawan, Near Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir refers to different Hindu temples or Mandirs built by the Birla family, in different cities. All these temples are magnificently built in white marble.-Birla Mandirs across India:-Continuous Construction:...
, Mandir Marg, New Delhi.
Allegation by Uttarakahnd Minister
Diwakar Bhatt in press conference alleged that, “It may be that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the US or Pakistan’s Inter Uttarakahnd Minister Service Intelligence (ISI) are behind these so-called anti-hydro projects in Uttarakhand, as by doing so they are hampering development of the state and ultimately of India. So by that way they are traitors and should be opposed by people too.”
Dam stopped
Work on the Loharinag Pala Hydro Power Project was stopped when Dr. Agrawal came close to dying on the 38th day of his fast in protest of the harnessing of the river Bhagirathi. In a letter dated February 19, 2009 to Dr. G.D. Agrawal, the Ministry of Power stated that it had ordered immediate suspension of work on the Loharinag-Pala Hydropower Project on the Bhagirathi River. In response Dr. Agrawal ended his fast the next morning at 11:00 am. The Indian government agreed to speed up its inquiry into how electricity could be generated without the flow of the Ganges being impeded.Dr. Agrawal's devotion to the River Ganges comes from his strong Hindu faith and his conviction that India is staring at an unprecedented ecological and cultural catastrophe. As a citizen and a patriot, he has made it his life’s mission to recall India to its traditional reverence for nature and to share that wisdom with the “developed” world. His sense of duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
allows him to do no less.
National Ganges River Basin Authority
His campaign was taken up by leaders of the opposition party who called for stopping all dam constructions upstream of the river. The Government of India was quick to commit itself to ensuring perennial environmentally acceptable flows throughout the river and also informing Dr. Agarwal of the same. The Government then went a step ahead and declared the Ganges a National River and set up the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) as an empowered planning, implementing and monitoring authority for the Ganges.On November 4, 2009 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
, also the chairman of NGRBA, directed concerned officials to expedite setting up of a National Ganges River Basin Research Institute (NGRBRI). The Centre for Environmental Studies and Technology (CEST), Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
was named as the research institute to act as knowledge centre for collection and analysis of all relevant data regarding Ganges basin.
Objectives of NGRBRI are:
- To generate basic ecological data required by NGBRA for short and long-term planning of sustainable developmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
of the Ganges River basin - To investigate the hydrology and pollution problems along the river basin
- To study social, cultural and religious dimensions and develop eco-friendly technologies for sustainable development
- To act as knowledge centre for collection and analysis of all relevant data regarding the Ganges basin
- To develop long-term models for future planning for maintaining water quality and its sustainable varied uses
On February 10, 2010, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh
Jairam Ramesh
Jairam Ramesh born April 9, 1954, is an Indian economist and an influential politician of the Congress Party in the United Progressive Alliance ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the Government of India. He is a Member of Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh state in the...
, addressing the Ganges- Yamuna summit organised by the Nehru Memorial Library and Museum said: "I have said in the Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
that India is a civilization of rivers, and it should not become a land of tunnels." He said some new projects on Bhagirathi River would not be allowed. "There are no two opinions. There is just one mass opinion that the projects proposed on the river Bhagirathi, named Pala Maneri and Bhaironghati projects, will not be entertained any further by the government."
External sources
- Prof. Agarwal's Letter regarding 'Fasting Unto Death' Pramod-Van, Chitrakoot, M.P. Date: 14/04/08, Re: My Intention of “Fasting Unto Death” for Conservation of Bhagirathi
- News clippings related to Dr G.D. Agrawal's fast-unto-death
- Save Ganga - Bhagirathi Bachao Sankalap - Part I, Video - 8:41; Part II, Video 9:39; Part III, Video 8:25