Narmada Seva Yatra Begins at Amarkantak in the Presence of Saints and Society

The world's largest people's campaign for the environment and river conservation began at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh's holy and legendary town. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the ambitious campaign, the Namami Devi Narmade - Narmada Seva Yatra, at the source of the Narmada with prayers and chants in praise of Mother Narmada, in the presence of acharyas, mahamandaleshwars, saints, cabinet ministers and a large number of devotees. All the saints praised the campaign and wished it success.

The Chief Minister said Mother Narmada is in danger today. As forests have shrunk, the river's flow has weakened. The Narmada has given us everything - water, electricity, crops, fruit, flowers and vegetables - but we have polluted her and invited disease, putting life itself at risk. Now is the time to pull ourselves together and atone for this wrong, he said, and that atonement will come through planting trees, organic farming, cleanliness and protecting the environment.

The launch ceremony was attended by Swami Akhileshwaranand Maharaj, the revered saints Hariharanand, Pragya Bharati and Narmadanand and other holy men; Gujarat Home Minister Pradeep Singh Jadeja; MP and state BJP president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan; Forest Minister and Narmada Seva Yatra in-charge Gaurishankar Shejwar; Industries and Mineral Resources Minister Rajendra Shukla; Public Works Minister Rampal Singh; Food, Civil Supplies and Labour Minister Omprakash Dhurve; Minister of State for Narmada Valley and General Administration Lal Singh Arya; Jan Abhiyan Parishad vice-presidents Pradeep Pandey and Raghvendra Gautam; Tribal Finance and Development Corporation chairman Shivraj Shah; Mineral Development Corporation chairman Shiv Choubey; Nehru Yuva Kendra vice-president Vishnudatt Sharma; Narmada Yatra convener Dr Jitendra Jamdar; MPs Gyan Singh and Ajay Pratap Singh, and many commission chairpersons, MLAs and public representatives.

The Chief Minister said the holy town of Amarkantak will be developed into the most beautiful pilgrimage site. A sewage treatment plant costing Rs 15.5 crore will be set up to stop dirty water flowing into the Narmada. Poor families living on the river banks will be given pucca houses, proper shops will be built and the town will be reorganised.

The 3,334-km yatra, begun with several goals, will travel along both banks of the Narmada and finish in 144 days. Along the way, fruit and shade trees will be planted for one kilometre on either bank, and people will be made aware of cleanliness, organic farming, de-addiction and environmental protection. It will be a joint resolve of society and government, and Chouhan led those present in taking a pledge. Clean toilets will be built in villages on the Narmada's banks and sewage treatment plants in towns, along with worship kunds on the ghats, cremation grounds and changing rooms for women. The yatra will conclude at Amarkantak on 11 May 2017.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said Mother Narmada is Gujarat's lifeline, and conveyed the people of Gujarat's good wishes for the yatra's success. This campaign to protect the river's purity will succeed, he said, and it has inspired Gujarat to make a similar effort. Madhya Pradesh is one end of the Narmada and Gujarat the other, and her water is being used for human development. Through tireless effort, he said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken Narmada water all the way to the country's border in Gujarat.

RSS Sar-Sahkaryavah Bhaiyyaji Joshi said India's civilisation and culture grew up on the banks of rivers, and we are fortunate to be born in a sacred land where rivers are seen as mothers. Our culture tells us to worship the five elements as gods, because the body itself is made from them. Rivers, trees and natural resources exist for us, so protecting them is our highest duty; no factory can make trees or water. He urged everyone to plant trees.