Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) outdid their private sector peers in contributing to the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF) through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

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The Clean Ganga Fund has received a total of Rs 197 crore through CSR from September 2014 to January 2018. Out of Rs 197 crore, PSUs contributed Rs 177 crore, about 90 percent of the total amount, said Satya Pal Singh, minister of state for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, while responding to a query in Rajya Sabha.

The ministry has in total received Rs 221.75 crore for the fund including CSR and other sources. Projects worth Rs 205 crore have been approved for funding, however, states have been provided with only Rs 33 crore so far for expenditure.

The ‘Clean Ganga Fund’ was launched as a part of the Namami Gange programme in September 2014 to encourage contributions from Indians, NRIs, PIOs, institutions and corporates towards Ganga rejuvenation.

Namami Gange Programme has a total outlay of Rs 20,000 crore. It is an umbrella programme carried out through various coordinated activities including treatment of municipal sewage, river front development among others.

Out of the total outlay of Rs 20,000 crore, around Rs 3,580 crore has been spent since 2014-15, said the minister.

Under the scheme, 105 projects have been sanctioned for the development of sewage treatment plants at an estimated cost of Rs 17,485 crore. 26 projects have been completed so far.

Further, a total of 67 projects have been sanctioned for river front development, development of ghats and crematoria at an estimated cost of Rs 1,296 crore. Out of 67, 24 projects are completed, while others are at various stages of implementation.

The ministry is expecting to complete all pending projects by the year 2020, he added.