In a bid to promote medicinal plantation in villages identified as Ganga Grams, a meeting was organised by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) in New Delhi during which a booklet of guidelines titled – ‘Home Herbal Garden’ was jointly released by DG, NMCG, Shri UP Singh and Deputy CEO, National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Smt. Padampriya Balakrishnan.
NMPB in a presentation on ‘Medicinal Plants and its Role in Rejuvenation of Ganga and Ganga Catchment Areas’ highlighted the plans and programmes for villages, benefits of medicinal plants, selection of plants, the modality of taking up the programme in villages identified for Ganga Grams and the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Gram Panchayats. As part of the programme, NMPB would be developing herbal gardens in identified Ganga Gram villages.
It may be recalled that Ganga Gram initiative was taken under Namami Gange programme last year to promote rural sanitation in villages located on the banks of river Ganga with an aim to reduce the pollution load on the river from these villages.
Speaking on the occasion DG, NMCG, Shri UP Singh said “It is a very good initiative that NMPB is taking up in Ganga Grams. I would urge all people from different villages who have come here today to translate the programme in their own villages.”
Officials and representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions, State Programme Management Group (SPMG), State Medicinal Plant Board (SMPB), Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare were also present on the occasion.