RAS question
The Namami Gange Programme was launched in:
Correct answer: (A) 2014.
The Namami Gange Programme was launched in June 2014 to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries.
Explanation
Namami Gange is a 2014 flagship programme for the rejuvenation of River Ganga. The Press Information Bureau release confirms that it was launched in June 2014 for the rejuvenation of River Ganga and its tributaries. The programme's design explains why 2014 is the required exam answer: it is tied to a defined set of pollution-abatement and river-management interventions, not merely to a generic river-cleaning idea. The listed actions include wastewater treatment, solid waste management, river-front management through ghats and crematoria development, e-flow, afforestation, biodiversity conservation and public participation. Its focus on sewage treatment, industrial effluent control, river-front development and biodiversity conservation therefore matches the official description of the programme.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 2020 is too late because the Press Information Bureau source states that Namami Gange was launched in June 2014, with the programme later continuing beyond its initial period.
- (C) 2008 refers to NGRBA, whereas Namami Gange itself is identified by the Press Information Bureau as a June 2014 programme.
- (D) 2000 is much earlier than the official launch year; the Press Information Bureau release places the launch in June 2014, not at the start of the decade.
Concept
This tests government environmental programmes under Science and Technology, especially mission-mode river rejuvenation and pollution-control initiatives. It recurs in RAS because such schemes connect current governance with environmental management and infrastructure priorities.