The Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Labour& Employment, Shri Bhupender Yadav on 8^thNovember, 2021inaugurated the Ganga Connect exhibition showcased by National Mission for Clean Ganga, c-Ganga, and the High Commission of India at the City of Glasgow College, which is the largest educational institute in Scotland. The exhibition is an attempt to showcase the level of development in the Ganga river basin to a global community of environmental stakeholders, who have gathered in Glasgow for the UN Conference of the Parties (COP-26) meeting.

In a blog, the Union environment Minister said “Ganga Connect is a global exhibition that will showcase multiple facets of the river basin and connect with interested parties. This project is important from the point of view preserving and protecting Ganga and its ecosystem and creating widespread awareness about the river basin.”

The Union Minister further added that “the exhibition offers a clear and deep understanding of the size, magnitude and complexity of the Ganga riverine ecosystem, puts a spotlight on the solutions, shares a status update and execution timeline, illustrates the deep spiritual and philosophical connect that Indians have with the river, enables engagement with interested parties and the diaspora who want to get involved in the rejuvenation, restoration and conservation of the river system.”

Click here to read the entire Blog: https://bhupenderyadav.in/blog/cop26-diary-09-11-2021

The exhibition, which will go on in Glasgow till November 10, was visited by a large gathering of Scottish business groups as well as international visitors who are participating in COP-26 meetings and other members of the Indian diaspora. The exhibition is highlighting river Ganga as a major lab for global technology and the scientific community to develop cutting edge environmental solutions. Initiatives like these are a great way to attract innovators from around the world and learn from the international best practices.

Before the inaugural, an expert panel comprising Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG, Prof. Paul Little, Principal of the College, Mr. Roddy Gow, Chairman, The Asia Scotland institute, Sanmit Ahuja, Expert Member, C-Ganga,  Professor Bob Ferrier (Director, James Hutton Institute (CREWS)), Dr. Isabella Guerrini de Claire (COO, Aurora Sustainability Group), Mr. Allan Reid (Director, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency), Mr. Jai Mallick (Associate, Foresight Group), Dr. Mark Fletcher (Global Water Leader, Arup), Dr. Gen Cannibal (Technical Director, Holistic Energy), Dr. Michael Groves (Founder and CEO, Topolytics), Mr. Michael Alexander (Global Head of Water, Environment, Agriculture Sustainability, Diageo), Mr. Kevin Houston (Co-founder and Owner, Carbon Masters), Professor Martin Tangey (Founder and President, Celtic Renewables) participated in a strategic discussion on how Scotland and India can collaborate to address water and climate change related issues.

Welcoming the participants, Prof. Paul Little said that it is time that actions should take global precedence and welcomed Indian scientists and government to join hands solving the global environmental problems. Mr. Roddy Gow spoke about great depth of innovations available in Scotland which can be of significant value to India in its sustainable development endeavors. 

Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG spoke about the approach and actions undertaken by Namami Gange for holistic rejuvenation of the Ganga River Basin. He mentioned that the how Government of India is open to global collaborations to solve the complex issues within the Ganga system. The Expert Roundtable organized as a cross learning session amongst the experts pertained to the need for developing leadership oriented towards sustainability, co-constructing an enabling environment for optimizing stakeholder engagement, need to learn from both evidence based sustainable practices and international best practices, etc.

The Ganga Connect has started in Glasgow, and will run through various cities in UK including Cardiff, Birmingham, Oxford and will finally end in London, later this month.

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BY/AS