The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh today approved the notification for setting up the Ganga River Basin Authority for comprehensive management of the Ganga basin. The Notification would be issued with immediate effect. The framework for the proposed authority was finalized today after discussion at a meeting chaired by the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister with Chief Secretaries of the Ganga Basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand while West Bengal was represented by Principal Secretary, Department of Environment of West Bengal. The five states unanimously endorsed the proposal, based on which the Ministry of Environment and Forests will issue the notification under the Environment Protection Act. This Authority chaired by the Prime Minister will consist of Chief Ministers of the Ganga Basin states as members along with related ministers of the Government of India. The first meeting of the Authority to be chaired by the Prime Minister would be held at the earliest.

State Governments endorsed the need to plan in a comprehensive manner for the river instead of taking up projects in a fragmented manner as at present. They conveyed the views of the State Governments welcoming this initiative and endorsed the value of a collective forum consisting of the Government of India and the Ganga Basin States to ensure that development requirements are met in a sustainable manner while ensuring ecological flows.