River Cities Alliance (RCA) ( UPSC Prelims)

EN ह

News Context

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has sanctioned the 2025 Action Plan under the River Cities Alliance (RCA) to integrate river-sensitive urban planning into Indian cities. This is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, initiated in 2021. The alliance includes 145 member cities, with the option for any river city to join at any time. The primary goal is to enhance institutional capacity, foster inter-city collaboration, and support the development of Urban River Management Plans (URMPs). The URMP Framework, a pioneering approach, was introduced in 2020 by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and NMCG. Five cities, namely Kanpur, Ayodhya, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Moradabad, and Bareilly, have developed URMPs. Notably, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar’s Kham River Restoration Mission received global recognition from the World Resources Institute’s Ross Centre Prize for Cities.