New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The central government Thursday approved the revamp of its plan to tackle pollution in Indian rivers. In a meeting of the cabinet here chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it was also decided to integrate river pollution control with urban development plans.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters after the cabinet meeting: “The implementation of the revamped river conservation strategy with a holistic approach and redesigned institutional arrangements would result in grater focus on river conservation efforts, accelerate the process of restoration of water quality in rivers reaping resultant ecological benefits, improvement in health and livelihood of the people downstream.”

The new plan is called the revamped river conservation strategy under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), which is successor to the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) launched in 1985 to clean India’s longest and holiest river.

The GAP was extended to other rivers in 1995 and renamed the NRCP. Its effectiveness has been repeatedly questioned by environmentalists, leading to the current revamp.