A National Convention of Gram Panchayats related to villages situated near Ganga River in different states being organized in Allahabad today. The conference is being organized with aim to ensure clean Ganga and Open Defection free (ODF) villages in more than four thousand villages of five states situated adjoining to Ganga river. <br/><br/>The conference will begin with a pledge ceremony for cleanness (swacchta shapat) at the martyr place of Chandrashekhar Azad at Azad park where Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti will lead to pledge to all participants including panchayats representatives and district collectors and other participants. About 52 districts are situated on the banks of Ganga river. <br/><br/>Minister for Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar and State Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh C. Jigajinagi are also taking part in this convention. Besides UP State representatives and senior officials from five states, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttrakhand are also taking part in this convention.