The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the central institutional mechanism for the rejuvenation, protection, and management of the River Ganga. It is a registered society, originally formed on August 12, 2011, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The NMCG was created to act as the implementation arm of the erstwhile National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). The problem it addresses is the extreme pollution and ecological degradation of the Ganga river, which was not successfully resolved by earlier efforts like the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) launched in 1985.
The NMCG's legal and operational framework is deeply connected to the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, which granted it statutory backing and empowered it to issue binding directions under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. This Order dissolved the NGRBA and replaced it with a five-tier structure, with the National Ganga Council (chaired by the Prime Minister) at the apex, and the NMCG as the key executive body. The NMCG implements the Namami Gange Programme, a flagship scheme launched in 2015. Its mechanism focuses on four sectors: wastewater management, solid waste management, industrial pollution abatement, and riverfront development. This includes building sewerage infrastructure, such as Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), and ensuring the maintenance of minimum continuous ecological flows (Aviral Dhara).
Recently, the 2016 Authorities Order was amended in August 2026. The amendment removed the blanket ban on construction in the entire Ganga flood plain, which was a key provision of the original order. Instead, it introduced a 3-Tier Stratified Zoning system, confining strict building prohibitions only to the Active Flood Plain (1-in-5 Year Return Period). Construction in the other zones is now permissible subject to mandatory prior clearances from the NMCG. The NMCG's core mandate of pollution abatement and ecological restoration, however, remains the same.