PM to attend 'Namami Devi Narmade' concluding ceremony in MP

Jabalpur:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the concluding ceremony of Narmada river conservation awareness programme next month at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, according to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

'Namami Devi Narmade - Sewa Yatra,' would conclude on May 15 at Amarkantak from where it originates, in the presence of the Prime Minister," Chouhan said during a public gathering at Gwari Ghat near Jabalpur yesterday.

Earlier, the state government had announced to conclude the campaign on May 11 after it began on December 11, 2016. Chouhan also said that the awareness campaign would be started again from July 2 wherein saplings would be planted on the banks of Narmada, flowing across various districts of the state.

"A large number of saplings would be planted alongside banks of Narmada on both sides. An effective system would be evolved to ensure the security of these saplings," he said.

Under the ongoing campaign, the government conducted a drive against liquor shops within five kilometres of Narmada's banks.

A stretch of 1831 km on southern bank comprising 548 villages/towns and 1513 km on northern bank comprising 556 village/towns were covered under the campaign.

The state government claims that this programme is one of the biggest river conservation campaigns in the world.