Conclusion and Way Forward
The efforts of the government of India in E-governance are extremely
laudable. The various initiatives brought about through E-governance
have found great appreciation from critics and various studies and
reports. The launch of the ‘Digital India Mission’ has further
strengthened the enforcement of e-governance. There are many appreciable
initiatives like dashboards of different ministries which show the work
status over different years, various portals which give real time
information. The availability of such systems has made things more
transparent for the common public with more outreach of the
beneficiaries for receiving adequate governmental aid. We have discussed
the e-governance mechanisms in India, primarily focusing on Agriculture,
Sewage management, forestry and the environmental flow of rivers. The
current study focused on these areas as they are also critical
components for the Namami Gange Program. Here we propose a convergence
network of these four sectors for the well-being of Ganga basin dwellers
and the maintenance of river water quality while incorporating the four
models of e-governance.
The use of organic fertilizers in the Ganga basin should be promoted so
as to reduce toxic pollutants which come through agriculture runoff upon
using chemical fertilizers, mix with the river water and contaminate
them. Accurate soil testing and digital mode of fertilizer
recommendation would enable farmers to know the correct doses of
fertilizers and pesticides to be used. GIS mapping-based prediction of
crop yield should be the other component. In the next sector we propose
actual sludge monitoring at the STPs. The monitoring of waste water
treatment and its availability already exists as part of digital
initiatives of the CPCB. Sludge generation, its treatment and reuse for
various purposes could become the important aspect in this sector owing
to the huge number of STPs commissioned under Namami Gange Program and
the unmanageable amounts of sludge generated on a daily basis. The
monitoring of e-flow of rivers also is existent. Along with this, in the
third sector we propose geo-mapping and geo-fencing-based mapping of
wetland areas near the Ganga basin. Online monitoring system that could
govern the wetlands and determine the adequate e-flow in order to
prevent drought, as well as floods, could become one of the most
important aspects. In the fourth sector afforestation of plants in the
Ganga basin is proposed. In order to minimize the wastage of money on
afforestation programs which do not grow trees as per the agroclimatic
zone, the GIS-based platform could be most valuable. Digital monitoring
and suggestions based on agro climatic zones would enable in growing
desirable species of plants which can minimize the problem of soil
erosion. The GIS based system could also help in continuous monitoring
of the status of afforested lands. The four models of e-governance
should be taken up in close concourse so as to disseminate, monitor and
upgrade the information and status of the river.
Thus, we come to the conclusion that many past initiatives have been
undertaken for cleaning of Ganga River and have fared to different
extents. With the advent of the era of information and communications
technology and enforcement of the digital India program, it becomes of
utmost necessity to use these tools to bring about the desirable outputs
along with continuous monitoring. Digital initiatives under Namami Gange
Program could be able to improve the current status in the different
sectors. The efforts under e-governance should thus be undertaken for
Namami Gange Program as envisioned in this manuscript for protecting the
river and improving the lives of people dependent on it.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declared no conflict of
interest.
Acknowledgment: The authors express their deep sense of
gratitude to Honorable Swami Ramdev ji for his guidance and support. The
swift administrative support from Mr. Lalit Mohan is also highly
acknowledged.
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