Namami Narmade program
Namami Narmade program
The primary component of the campaign is a yatra or pilgrimage. The yatra ran for 148 days from December 11, 2016, to May 15, 2017, and began and ended at Amarkantak, the origin of the Narmada river in Anuppur district, [1] after traveling around Madhya Pradesh. Smaller "sub-yatras" covered areas not in the main route. [2] The total length of the yatra was 2,930 kilometres (1,820 mi), with 1,077 kilometres (669 mi) being along the Narmada itself. The campaign covered 962 villages in 16 districts. [3]
Members of the public were encouraged to participate in the yatra. Cultural and religious programs were organized at various points throughout the yatra. [2] Prominent members of the public were present during these programs. Some of the attendees included spiritual leaders Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev [4] and the Dalai Lama, [5] actors Vivek Oberoi, Anupam Kher, Govinda and Suzanne Bernert, and classical musicians Sonal Mansingh and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. [3] [6]
The campaign also included a group of 50 public representatives and other volunteers who accompanied the yatra to raise awareness about ecologically friendly farming practices, pollution, water conservation, and forest conservation. [3]
The campaign also includes planting 60 million trees along the river's banks [7] and the promotion of fruit tree cultivation among farmers. Farmers would be financially supported for three years while the trees mature and bear fruit. Water treatment plants for sewage treatment at cities along the river and the establishment of "mukti dhams" or crematoriums to prevent the release of corpses into the river are also planned. [8]
By November 2016, 11,834 people had registered to participate in the yatra. [9] As of March 2017, the campaign was estimated to have reached 30 million people in 584 villages. [3] Additionally, 37,349 saplings were planted by 118,000 farming families over an area of 144,000 hectares (360,000 acres). [3]
The Dalai Lama has said that the government's conservation efforts were "laudable" and will "go a long way in conserving environment and water." [1] Sadhguru said on Twitter that this "seva" or service should be the "sacred duty of every citizen of Madhya Pradesh"[ citation needed ] and called for a similar river conservation program that would be nationwide. [4] The initiative to promote fruit sapling plantation and stop fertilizer use has found approval among environmental experts in India. [3] A petition was filed in the Madhya Pradesh high court against the yatra, regarding the amount of money being spent on the campaign. The petition alleged that money was being used on publicity rather than cleaning the river. [10]
A committee was constituted to oversee the campaign. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, is the chairman of the committee, and Minister for Forest, Planning, Economics and Statistics, Dr.Gauri Shankar Shejwar is vice-chairman. Minister of State for Narmada Valley Development, Lal Singh Arya and Chairman of State Mineral Development Corporation, Shiv Choubey, are also on the committee. The committee also includes ministers overseeing the 16 districts that lie along the rivers banks, as well as Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh, commissioners and Panchayat chairmen of the districts. Additionally, 18 Spiritual Leaders, social activists and experts in relevant subjects are part of the committee. Additional Chief Secretary Planning, Economic and Statistics serves as a member secretary and the Executive Director Madhya Pradesh Jan Abhiyan Parishad serves as a member assistant secretary. [11]
Madhya Pradesh is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and its largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Gwalior being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second largest Indian state by area and the fifth largest state by population with over 72 million residents. It borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest.
The Narmada River, previously also known as Narbada or anglicised as Nerbudda, is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in India. It is also known as the "Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat" due to its huge contribution to the two states in many ways. The Narmada River rises from the Amarkantak Plateau in Anuppur district in Madhya Pradesh. It forms the traditional boundary between North and South India and flows westwards for 1,312 km (815.2 mi) before draining through the Gulf of Khambhat into the Arabian Sea, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Bharuch city of Gujarat.
Rewa is a city in the north-eastern part of Madhya Pradesh state in India. It is the administrative center of Rewa District and Rewa Division. The city lies about 420 kilometres (261 mi) northeast of the state capital Bhopal and 230 kilometres (143 mi) north of the city of Jabalpur. The maximum length of Rewa district is 125 km from east to west and the length of Rewa from north to south is 96 km. This area is surrounded by Kaimur hills to the south Vindhyachal ranges pass through the middle of the district.
Sehore District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Sehore is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division.
Digvijaya Singh is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha since 2014. He is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and Ex-General Secretary of the Indian National Congress party's All India Congress Committee. Previously, he had served as the 14th and 15th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, a central Indian state, in two terms from 1993 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2003. Prior to that he was a minister in Chief Minister Arjun Singh's cabinet between 1980 and 1984. In 2019 Indian general election he was defeated by Pragya Singh Thakur for Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.
The Isha Foundation is a nonprofit, spiritual organisation that was founded in 1992 near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, by Sadhguru. It hosts the Isha Yoga Centre, which offers yoga programs under the name Isha Yoga. The foundation is run "almost entirely" by volunteers. According to Sadhguru, the word isha means "the formless divine".
Prakash Chandra Sharma is an Indian politician of Indian National Congress and current member of Madhya Pradesh's 15th Vidhan Sabha, who was Cabinet Minister of Law and Legal Affairs Department, Public Relations Department, Science and Technology Department, Department of Civil Aviation, Department Associated with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Government of Madhya Pradesh during CM Kamal Nath Government (2018-2020). He represents Bhopal Dakshin-Paschim in Madhya Pradesh.
Sadhguru is an Indian guru and founder of the Isha Foundation, based in Coimbatore, India. The foundation, established in 1992, operates an ashram and yoga centre that carries out educational and spiritual activities. Sadhguru has been teaching yoga since 1982. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy and Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny, and a frequent speaker at international forums.
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Gauri Shankar Shejwar is a senior political leader of Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh and was a senior Cabinet Minister in the state government from 2013-18. He was a Cabinet Minister in-charge of multiple portfolios such as Forests, Planning, Economics & Statistics in the Madhya Pradesh State Government headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from 2013-2018. He was also the Minister in-charge of the Narmada Seva Yatra - a unique river conservation and development programme led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In the past, he has been cabinet minister in different BJP governments that have governed Madhya Pradesh. He has held important portfolios such as Forests, Home Affairs, Power & Energy, Health, and Education during his different tenures as Cabinet Minister.
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Anil Madhav Dave was an Indian environmentalist and politician. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he served as the Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Narendra Modi ministry from July 2016 till the time of his death in May 2017.
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Narmada Expressway is a proposed eight-lane expressway in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The proposed expressway will connect the historic towns of Amarkantak in the eastern end of Madhya Pradesh via Dindori, Shahpura, Jabalpur, Narmadapuram, Barwaha and Alirajpur in the western end of Madhya Pradesh alongside the Narmada River. The expressway measures 1,300 km. It will connect Gujarat with Chhattisgarh. Later, this road will be extended to connect Alirajpur to Ahmedabad.
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