Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil Chairs 17th ETF Meeting

Giving further impetus to technology-driven river rejuvenation, the 17th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) was held today under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, C.R. Paatil. The meeting focused on strengthening data-based decision-making, monitoring mechanisms and compliance frameworks under the Namami Gange Programme, with special emphasis on drainage mapping and enhanced surveillance of sewage treatment infrastructure.

The meeting brought together key stakeholders from various ministries and state governments, including Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary; Secretary, Department of Water Resources, V.L. Kantha Rao; Secretary, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ashok K.K Meena; Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Rajeev Kumar Mital; JS&FA Department of Water Resources Shri Gaurav Masaldan; Nalin Srivastava (Deputy Director General, NMCG); Shri Brijendra Swaroop, Executive Director (Projects), Anup Kumar Srivastava (Executive Director, Technical); S.P. Vashisth (Executive Director, Admin); Bhaskar Dasgupta (Executive Director, Finance); . Anurag Srivastava, ACS UP, Joginder Singh Project Director (UP),. Sandeep Pr. Secretary Urban Development (Bihar), Ms Nandini Ghosh (Project Director, West Bengal SPMG); . Suraj Project Director (Jharkhand);along with senior officers of NMCG and participating states. Meeting was attended by representatives of Ministry of Power, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs of Government of India. (updated on 5th January 2026)