The Government is planning to invest more than Rs 7000 crore for the conservation and cleaning of river Ganga.

Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan said the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), constituted for the purpose under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, is fully operational. She said the Centre had already sanctioned projects worth more than Rs 2,600 crore.

At a function organised in Allahabad on Sunday, the Minister said of these projects, Rs 1,342 crore had been earmarked for setting up of sewage treatment plants and other related works in Uttar Pradesh.

Natarajan said NGRBA with the collective efforts of the Central and State governments had to ensure that by year 2020, no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flew into the river Ganga. She asserted that the Centre would leave no stone unturned to ensure a clean Ganga.

The Minister said her ministry would launch a public awareness campaign for a pollution-free Ganga ahead of the Kumbh Mela to be held in January next year at Allahabad.

She also flagged-off the fourth phase of rafting expedition by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police .